The Day I Became a Nurse
I’ve thought long and hard about what this post should be: an induction announcement? a gratitude letter? a personal essay? or an all-in-one. Because this journey has been everything. I got inducted into the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria today, and to be honest, I can’t fully express how I feel. It still feels surreal, but one thing I’m sure of is that I’m filled with gratitude. Gratitude to Almighty Allah who brought me this far. There were ups and downs, but I scaled through, and I did that with good grades, too.
In my first year, I was that little girl who was scared of everything; scared of failing, scared of interacting with people, scared of letting her parents down, even scared of her voice. Today, I can boldly say that 90% of those fears are gone. Thanks to God and my amazing and ever-supportive family and friends. I still remember how it all began. In my first year, I just passed through school, instead of allowing school to pass through me. My only goal at that time was, “I don’t want them to drop me.” For context: in my faculty, there’s nothing like carryover. If you fail one course in the first year, even if it’s just a 1-unit course, you have to leave the faculty and move to another department. And for someone who has experienced failing before, I didn’t want history to repeat itself. It also didn’t help that I was shy. I didn’t know how to talk to people or make friends. I had just a few friends, maybe four in total, but I was trying.
When I got into my second year, all I wanted to do was survive it and drop anatomy. But it turned out to be harder than I imagined. There were days I sat in gross anatomy and embryology classes and understood absolutely nothing. Still, I kept reading, even if it meant understanding just one paragraph after hours of study. My sister was helpful to me during that time. I’ll never forget my first gross anatomy steeplechase exam, a practical exam where you have just one minute to identify muscles, bones, or other structures on a cadaver. I submitted an almost empty paper because I genuinely couldn’t fathom how I was supposed to do that in one minute.
On the day of my first gross anatomy theory exam, just minutes before entering the hall, I had what felt like a panic attack. I prayed two nafil (voluntary prayer) salat and felt calmer. I called my sister, went over what we had revised, and she assured me I was ready. Lo and behold… I was not ready. The questions shocked me, but I gave it my best, left the rest to God, and as always, He didn’t fail me. That same year was when I was reading like crazy. My roommate introduced me to Maca and Fearless energy drinks, and let’s just say I abused them. I drank two bottles a day just to stay awake. One time, I slept for just five hours in three days. Yes, you read that right, and yes, I landed in the hospital. I was admitted and even wrote one of my exams from the hospital bed. Did I stop drinking them? Well… not until after exams (don’t judge me).
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The third year was relatively calm; the only thing that stressed me was pharmacology, but I finally got the hang of it in fourth year. This was also the year I made amazing friends. My room was right beside my best friend’s, and we made beautiful memories together. It was a breath of fresh air after the chaos of the second year.
Fourth year felt like walking on eggshells. It was the year I wrote my first and most important professional exam. I studied hard, and now that I reflect on it, I realize I enjoyed the process. By this time, I had grown a lot, and I understood myself better. I knew I was a slow learner, so I studied twice as hard, but this time, without energy drinks. I understood the damage excessive consumption could do to my body, so I found a better balance between rest and reading.
I also found courage I didn’t know I had. I started a literary community with a friend, something I had been thinking about since my second year, but was too afraid to pursue. I performed poetry four times in school, attended events that interested me, and gradually started stepping into my light.
Stepping into my fifth year, I wrote down my goals for my final year, and let’s just say, I did pretty well. You know how they say “the best was saved for the last”? That person knew what they were saying because the fifth year was the best, amidst the endless exams and deadlines. By now, it was evident that I had grown, not physically, but in every other way. Emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. I created a lot of beautiful memories, many that I tried to capture on social media, and many more that I couldn’t capture because I wanted to live in the moment, and some I can’t even begin to write about. But one thing I can say with all my heart is: Alhamdulilah (All praise is due to Allah). It was indeed a beautiful journey, and I have so much to be grateful for.
To my ever-supportive parents, thank you for believing in me, thank you for your prayers, for sponsoring this degree, for always responding to my “they said we should pay,” “they said we should buy” without ever hesitating. I’m truly grateful that you’re both alive and healthy to witness this beautiful day. To my siblings, my elders (inside joke), thank you for listening to my endless rants, for always offering advice, for the extra funds, and for cheering me on every step of the way. To my friends, roommates, and everyone who made this uni journey what it was, thank you. I appreciate you, see you at the top!
So here I am, Nr. Jimoh Raheemat Oluwatoyin (RN, RM, RPHN, BNSc). The girl who was once scared of her voice, the girl who was once afraid to fail, the girl who once whispered dreams to herself, now tells the world her story.
And on this day, July 3rd, 2025, everything changed. I became a nurse, and nothing will ever be the same. Alhamdulilah.
