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She also continued to study. She obtained her
major nursing profession – B. Cur E et A (majoring in
Community Health Nursing, Nursing Administration
(with distinction) and Nursing Education) when she
was 46 years of age. After that, it took Phumelele
less than 20 years to achieve a doctorate in nursing
from the University of Zululand. This octogenarian
spent 42 years in the profession, ‘retiring’ in 1999, but
continued to work full-time for another seven years.
After that, alongside being a priest in her retirement,
she continued to be sporadically involved in health
care and related work.
In her almost half-a-century in the profession,
Phumelele singles out a number of highlights.
For instance, she became an assistant teaching
nurse before she got her qualification. “As a senior
student nurse in a small rural training hospital with
few nurse educators, in my last year l assisted the
nurse educators with first year students’ orientation,
teaching in class and practical work,” she said, adding
that her interest and expertise in this area of nursing
education grew and was recognised.
“It is for this reason that I ended up as a nurse educator
in nursing colleges and university nursing departments,
teaching diplomas and degrees,” she said.
She also promoted private university study for nurses
employed full-time in hospitals. As a Senior Sister,
now called Operations Manager, she also supervised
nursing students that were doing Clinical Care
Administration and Instruction. Phumelele was happy
with the outcome of what she was doing. “It was good
to see young nurses develop to become nurse leaders
in the nursing profession, and moving up the ladder to
high management positions in the health care system,”
said this professional who was once awarded a prize
as ‘Best Nursing Care Unit Manager’.
Another highlight in her career was being among the
first nurses at King Edward Vlll Hospital to be given the
opportunity to study IntensiveCareNursing atWentworth
Hospital. “On return from that course, we were allocated
to be part of the group given the responsibility of
preparing for installation of a new Intensive Care Unit to
be opened at our hospital,” she said.
While working at Clairwood Hospital, another Durban
hospital, Phumelele was in charge of the In-service
Department. She was also appointed facilitator of a
course calledANursingProcess Approach toNursing, a
newly introduced package. “Part of my responsibilities
in this department was to enforce continuous practical
nurse learning to keep nurses updated since this was
not a training hospital,” she said.
As part of the University of Zululand Nursing Science
Department, Phumelele was assigned to go and open
a new Nursing Department at its Umlazi Campus.
“This was a big success and offered nursing degrees
and diplomas like those offered at Main Campus,” she
said. Many professional nurses were able to attend
and study University courses part-time while fully
employed. This department grew and has produced
many nurse leaders in the health care system.
These are just a few of Phumelele’s milestones in her
career as a nurse. After retirement, Phumelele got
involved in community health projects, especially HIV
and AIDS and TB. She was particularly involved in
training and supervision of Home Based Care.
Reflecting on the unjust and inhumane apartheid
system, Phumelele said nursing was not exempted.
For instance, white nurses were paid higher salaries.
Conditions of service, placement and allocation of
duties were also much better for white nurses. Training
schools were segregated, with no mixing of races.
“Black nurses were barred from observing or assisting
in certain special procedures if performed on a white
client, even if that condition or procedure was so rare
that they might never see it during their training,” she
concluded.
Dr Phumelele Jabulisiwe Kunene