WHAT WAS THE MOTIVATION FOR GETTING INTO NURSING ACADEMIA?

I started working in UCH around 1990 as a bedside nurse [I enjoyed bedside nursing]. 

However, a time came when I needed more than what I was doing.

I also needed to move ahead to satisfy my desire to further my education, and I firmly believed that being in the academic field would help me achieve my academic dreams.

The second motivation came from the people around me who “gave me the push” into academia. 

At first, I looked at the money involved and was discouraged, but my colleagues and mentors encouraged me to go for it and opened my eyes to the opportunities in the field of academics.

These motivated my movement from bedside responsibilities in the University College Hospital to the domain of academics at the University of Ibadan.

Recommended Reads

What To Do Before Setting Goals As A Young Nurse

Building Your Leadership Capacity As A Young Nurse

IS NURSING ACADEMIA BORING AND IS THE PAY POOR?

Nursing academia is a two-edged sword. 

If you are looking at it in terms of monetary value and based on my own experience, the clinical setting offers a better monthly salary, which is the liquid cash you get at the end of the day.

However, there are numerous opportunities for self-expression in academia. It’s not just about teaching. There are three cardinal areas in academia:

· Knowledge

· Research

· Community Service

A lot of people only consider teaching when they think about academia, and if that is the case, then there isn’t a lot of money compared to the clinical setting.

When you participate in good and productive community service, you help generate internal revenue where you work. You can also partner with local and international organizations to drive your missions and achieve your goals.

When it comes to research, you have the opportunity for writing grant applications. This implies that you are not just made for the local context. You have to think like a global citizen. It puts one on a global scale to include:

· Bringing solutions to problems.

· De-emphasizing the perception of money as a legal tender, rather than thinking like a global citizen. 

· Using one’s knowledge to generate more knowledge.

· Creating opportunities to influence lives, which is a form of wealth.

· Deliberately creating, and leaving other legacies for coming generations.

Through research, an academic generates new knowledge which would be required to influence care in the clinical setting, and by extension influence clinical standards of practice.

We have come to the end of this first part. And we believe you have found great value in it. The second part will be published next week [to keep in touch, subscribe to our mailing list, and follow us on social media — Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn].

In the second part, we dive deeper with more private questions about Professor Prisca Adejumo’s journey into the world of Nursing Academia.

You don’t want to miss it. It’s our desire that you are inspired to get to the highest peak in this noble profession.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our mailing list and follow us on social media.

“Meet The Profs” is a new series on FYNI that is telling the stories of the founders of FYNI. 

We want their unique stories to inspire and motivate young nurses in Nigeria and all over the world.  

You will get the opportunity to hear, first-hand what motivates them, how they found themselves where they are, the challenges they have encountered and so much more. 

And this is what even makes it captivating — you get the opportunity to ask them any question. 

If you have not subscribed to our mailing list, kindly do so, so that you get notified whenever we publish something fresh. 

Have you watched our last webinar on Leadership and Politics in Nigerian Nursing?

Watch it below…

“Meet The Profs” is produced by FYNI Media And Editorial Team.