The Twitter Space started at about 6:15 pm with the co-host, Inem Etuk moderating the session. 

She introduced the speaker, Prof Prisca Olabisi Adejumo.

Thereafter, a short prayer was done after which Prof Prisca gave a brief welcome address, and then the moderator encouraged the listeners to tweet about the “Twitter Space” to enable more people to join.

The Twitter space started with an interview session. Questions were asked by the audience to Prof Prisca and she answered them. 

Find below the questions asked and the answers: 

Q: What were the challenges you encountered as a student at different levels of the academic ladder and how did you overcome these challenges?

A: There are 2 perspectives, as a school of nursing student and as a student in the university. 

At the “School of Nursing level”, the difficulty encountered was the resistance gotten from my father about my choice of studying nursing. I wrote the school of nursing entrance exams without his knowledge and he got to know through a newspaper publication announcing my success. 

He was extremely perplexed and asked why I acted in such a manner. I informed him that I knew he would have objected hence my actions. This led to his acceptance along the line.

Another such challenge was when my old secondary schoolmates saw me in the nursing student uniform in the hospital and assumed something terrible must have happened for me to be studying nursing. 

Thankfully a staff nurse who saw the whole drama saved me from their embarrassing questions. This incident, therefore, reinforced my desire to get to the peak of the nursing profession.

In the university, however, the major challenge I faced was the misconception of the public about the roles of nurses, hence a lot of questions on my mind on how to resolve the issues.

Q: How were you able to stand firm in your decision to stay in nursing academia?

A: It was not easy because no one motivated those who wanted to study for a degree in nursing compared to those who go for a diploma. 

I faced a lot of objections and humiliations at the time, especially regarding my desire to have a degree in nursing. 

During my transition into academia, I was going to be discouraged by the income which was lesser than the amount I was earning as a clinical nurse. 

I finally realized that teaching is not the only source of income for academicians, research is also a source of wealth.

Lastly, community service is also a way of impacting people and not just a source of more income for the academician.

The moderator then encouraged the audience to ask questions, after which a listener, Miss Mercy, asked to know exactly why Prof Prisca’s father did not want her to study nursing. 

Prof Adebayo Adejumo [Prof Prisca’s husband] answered by saying her father wanted her to either be a medical doctor or an engineer. 

He added that “one can be a nurse and still be a game-changer.” 

Prof Prisca then added that her father thought that nursing is not a prestigious profession and that she would be short-changing herself if she studied nursing.

Another listener, Mr. Gbenro, mentioned how important it is for nurses to ensure healthy self-esteem in their practice. 

Also, Miss Fadodun Damilola asked the Prof about the strategies she used to overcome toxic situations at work and maintain stable mental health while keeping her dreams alive.

Prof Prisca then replied that challenges will always be there but one must always recognize what is to be learned in those situations. 

She further stated that one must be able to identify situations where a change in modus operandi is required to achieve a different result.

She added how important it is to speak with people who have gone ahead in that sphere of life. She also mentioned the importance of fellowshipping and talking to God as well.

The “Nurse Researcher” [one of the listeners] also asked to know if the commitment of nursing leaders to young nurses has changed over the years and what can be done to make it better.

Prof Prisca replied by saying things have changed and that she has witnessed old nurses encouraging the young to go for higher nursing education and progress in their careers. 

She further said that it is important for old nurses to know that they will surely reap the result of whatever they do as regards impacting the young nurses. 

Furthermore, Mr. David Ibukun also asked to know what can be done for young nurses who are struggling to cope in the nursing school. 

Prof replied by saying that we truly have varying levels of resilience and coping capacity and that young nurses need to understand and identify the problems they are facing and how to overcome them. 

Furthermore, nurses should be able to advocate for themselves and report abuses and oppression faced by nurses around them to authorities that can resolve such matters.

Miss Ruth Ololade mentioned that there is a popular saying that young nurses must serve their elders to climb higher in the profession, and therefore asked what is the highest level of service a young nurse should give to mentors. 

She replied that she does not believe that statement to be true and that what one needs is to know how to get the attention of mentors and not necessarily to serve them. She also said one must learn how to say no politely as it is a way of maintaining one’s sanity.

She further said in saying no, one must understand the personality of the mentor to know the approach to use.

Lastly, Mr. Ayinla Kazeem asked Prof what she would have studied if not nursing. She replied that she would have become an “Air Hostess”. 

He further asked about her fears when transitioning into academia besides the financial implication. 

She responded that she had no fears besides the fact that she loved clinical nurses, especially caring for her patients. 

He also asked that does present-day nursing prepare the young ones for leadership and managerial roles, especially in clinical settings. 

She responded that no profession teaches everything about leadership to the young ones, however, she said it is better to ask oneself “in what way have I prepared myself for leadership roles in nursing” and not “in what way has nursing prepared me for leadership roles.”

And lastly, Mr. Ayinla Kazeem asked to know how Prof resisted the urge to seek greener pastures in her days. 

She replied that it depends on what an individual wants for themselves, that she wanted to contribute to her society. 

She urged people that in whatever decisions they make, they should not do anything that will jeopardize their mental health and sanity.

The moderator then appreciated everyone and encouraged them to keep following the social media pages of the organization. 

The space ended at about 8:30 pm.