The word 'nursing' is derived from the Latin word 'nurtrire,' which means 'nourishing'. Nursing has maintained its status as a trusted and vital role for centuries.
In the late 1990s I would study during the day for my professional qualifying exams, and work at night on this job as an auxiliary nurse/healthcare assistant in a hospital. It is perhaps what some might call moonlighting. I worked in this job for five years, between 1997 and 2002. I had taken a crash course in basic nursing.
I think I would have made an excellent nurse if I'm to be honest. I had a feel for the job. This was the role I enjoyed the most in all the jobs I've done in my life, yes, even more than the legal work, which in later years became much more impersonal.
This was hard gruelling work, hands-on nursing on the wards, but I found myself enjoying it after a while. Looking after the patients and seeing them get better was rewarding. Some of them were very ill, and not all of them made it, meaning that for the first time ever I was made to confront dying and death as part of my job. That I found some fulfilment in the job came as a surprise really, as I was the squeamish type before then.
I even toyed with the idea of embarking on full nursing training and gained admission to Kingston University to start a Nursing degree programme. But I took the advice of a friend who is a medical doctor, to pursue the legal qualification instead since I was already a qualified lawyer from abroad. I admit it was sound advice, although I think my friend might have been more concerned about things like prestige, social status, and the remuneration aspect, none of which really mattered much to me at the time as I was then driven entirely by passion.
In May 2002 I was admitted to the Roll of Solicitors of England and Wales, so it was then that I made the switch and resumed my legal career, but I never overcame the sense of loss.
