DOING GARDENING JOBS WHILE STUDYING FOR MATRIC, NATHI MACHI KNEW HE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING WORTHWHILE WITH HIS LIFE. NEARLY 10 YEARS LATER, HE IS A SHIFT LEADER IN AN INTENSIVE CARE WARD OF A HOSPITAL. LEE CURRIE CAUGHT UP WITH THIS YOUNG MAN.
If it wasn’t for his nurse’s uniform, one could easily mistake Nkosinathi (Nathi) Machi for a rugby player – and a very fit looking one at that. Male nurses are sometimes referred to as gentle giants, and watching Nathi with his patients at Netcare uMhlanga Hospital’s ICU (Intensive Care Unit), one can soon see why. Now a registered nurse at ICU2, it’s taken Nathi nearly a decade of perseverance and sheer hard work to achieve his dream. His beginnings were humble, but supporting himself with gardening jobs while studying for matric, he knew he wanted to do much more with his life – and nursing appealed to his compassionate nature.
After an exceptionally good matric pass, and with encouragement from both his widowed mother and one of his employers who organised a loan, he set off to study nursing at McCords Hospital.
He remains modest in that he did impressively well, earning a bursary for the second year, after which he became an enrolled nurse. While applying for permanent employment he completed a course in ICU and worked as a volunteer at an HIV centre in between temp nursing jobs through an agency. His parents had taught him that no job was beneath him, so he continued with his gardening jobs while temping.
In 2012 his dream started to come to fruition when he joined the permanent staff as an enrolled nurse at Netcare uMhlanga Hospital. Impressed by his dedication, some of the doctors encouraged him to enrol in the registered nurse (RN) training programme which he was able to do with a loan from Netcare. After qualifying he began working in surgical ICU taking further courses along the way.
Then last year Nathi was promoted to shift leader. He recalls what it was like for him in the beginning. “Making decisions was quite overwhelming at first. ICU wards are much more close- knit than other wards and supporting each other is very important.”
This also means forming close relationships with patients who are often critically ill, so we asked Nathi how he handles the emotional aspects. “When I first started, I would cry when a patient passed away,” he confesses, his face softening. “However, you know you have to stay strong for your patients, your staff, and yourself. While counselling is available, I cope mostly by working out at gym and reading my Bible. There is so much you need to understand in this profession – and to accept. On the positive side there’s the joy we all feel when patients who have been critically ill recover – and sometimes come back to visit us with a box of chocolates!”
Next on Nathi’s agenda is registering for a course in Neonatal Intensive Care where he will be tending premature babies: “I’ve spent a couple of days in NICU and fell in love with the idea. The stereotype that nursing is ‘for women’ has been changing though the mindset of some men remains the same. Nursing is a dynamic profession with many options. Really, the sky is the limit.”