From nursing to entrepreneurship: Hearing directly from the very talented Nejima Gabose

First off, I’d like to thank you for agreeing to have your real-life story featured on Nursingpreneur. I’m building a high-quality resource platform for all budding nursing and midwifery students. Therefore, your experiences, thoughts, preferences, and suggestions are immensely valuable for Nursingpreneur’s growth.

To that end, I must say that it’s great to have you here. 

Now, I’d like you to answer the following questions so that we can shed light on your story and experiences in an engaging way.

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hey guys, thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope you find it beneficial. I would also like to thank Fatumo for creating this platform and for inviting me. 

My name is Nejima Gabose, and I’m 27 years old. I grew up in New Zealand and moved to Western Australia to further my studies. I since completed my Undergraduate in Nursing (Bachelor of Science –Nursing) at Edith Cowan University, Western Australia.

I always like to challenge myself and further my education and knowledge hence why you would see me wearing multiple hats throughout the week. I’m an event planner and co-owner of an event planning business (G & M Events).

 I’m also the owner of Sabreen’s Window, which is an online modest wear label. I love creating visual content for my Instagram followers for both businesses so basically if I’m not at the hospitals saving lives, I’m running around in the creative field, saving their events or wardrobe 😉

How did you get into your current field? And do you enjoy doing it? (E.g. of Fields such as nursing, and midwifery)

I’m currently employed in a tertiary hospital. I always seek new adventures and challenges to further self-growth, and that is why I change my field of work every two years or so. My longest role was working at the emergency department.

Presently, I’m in a pool that facilitates my knowledge-seeking spirit to move between various medical fields whilst gaining the most out of what that field offers. 

This allows me to move between different wards in the same hospital. I absolutely love it because every day is never the same, and not being presented with the same role day in day out is refreshing.

It is definitely enjoyable when you’re able to switch between roles, e.g. being in the mental health unit dealing with the complexity of a patient’s mental illness and the next in the emergency department or the medical/surgical ward helping patients with their specific medical conditions. 

Can you tell us about your favorite nursing or midwifery moment? (keeping things confidential for clients involved)

One of the moments that stand out the most for me was a time I had a young Somali nursing student. She had just started her 2nd year of nursing and was doing her placement in the emergency department.

She told me that she felt a sense of assurance when she saw another Somali girl working in the field she hoped to specialize in. She also felt even more confident and strong envisioning her goal once she could identify with me.

I think it is so imperative as a minority that there’s representation across all fields so future young generations can dream and envision themselves as my student did. It also creates a visual goal when they see that others before them have strived and achieved their dream.

That is why this type of platform must exist so we can share our successes and failures as a guide for future generations should they need assurance or inspiration.

How did you maintain consistency in your doings?

I think for me, it is always pushing myself to learn new skills and find opportunities or create somewhere I can’t find any. I love to be in an environment where I can work in different specialties to keep expanding my skills and knowledge.

Additionally, I’m fortunate enough to have access to professional development courses to further my skills and knowledge.

Also, when it comes to my hobby/business, punctuality and consistency are the keys. I self-motivate on a daily basis and keep God and prayers close to my heart. I always believe that if you straighten your relationship with God & prayer, everything else falls into place, and the motivation keeps flowing.

What is the most striking moment of personal “failure” you’ve experienced in nursing or midwifery?

The most striking moment was when I was an early young graduate. 

I got let go of a nursing position and still remember the sense of loss and hopelessness that followed. I strikingly remember a chat I had with myself, I thought “Nejima, this is it!

All you worked for is over! all those late nights, exams, and months-long practicals were for nothing. You let yourself and your family down “. I literary remember feeling that I could not feel worse than how I felt at that moment.

I have never been “let go/fired” from another position and mind you I have worked since I was 16 so this was a new experience for me in my early 20s. Looking back, I appreciate the experience now because the underlying issue taught me a lifelong lesson.

I got let go from the position for my lack of interest in the role which taught me the link between passion for a field and the performance it yields. I have gotten comfortable with my job and was almost doing it as second nature even though It did not create a spark for me. 

The fact that management identified my lack of motivation in the area taught me to be brave in the future and take a leap of faith to branch out and find something I enjoy immensely should this happen again.

Sometimes we find comfort in the security of having a job than leaving which creates scenarios like mine. Now, I have so much confidence in myself that I’m not afraid of leaving an area if I feel I’ve outgrown it or have no passion for it.

I believe it was this moment that ultimately shaped my life and helped build the person I am today. I think we are always so focused on what success looks like that when we experience a setback, we do not realize it is these moments that determine our true success and strengths.  

The one piece of advice I would give anyone who loses a job or does not get the job is this; “If something is destined for you, never in a lifetime will it be for somebody else and if there’s something you want that is not written for you, it will never reach you”.

How did you cope with your failure?

I look at failure in a different light than when I was younger; I do not see it as unfavorable but rather an opportunity that God has tailored for me to support my self-growth.

If I come across something I’m not yet competent in, I first accept it on a positive note instead of questioning my ability and capability. I follow it up with seeking support and knowledge to get the help I need to further succeed in where I need to be. 

So, remember this whether you fail your assignment, a whole semester or you do not get the grad program your peers got accepted in, whatever it may be, “the more we fail, the more resilient we become”. Also, do not feel like there’s a timeline you need to follow for “success” because each person’s success lane is tailored differently as they have different DNA to the person beside them.

Caffeine or not caffeine for shift work?

I’m a tea lover lol I know it does not have strong caffeine but works for me. It is embarrassing to advertise, but if drink anything that has strong caffeine, I experience symptoms that are best left unsaid! But, on second thought, it is not embarrassing as I’m writing to a group of nurses/future nurses so we can openly discuss diarrhea LOL!!

Where do you see yourself in 3-5 years? (Any reference to short- and long-term objectives).

I plan to be working full-time in my business. I will also keep my nursing registration active in the hopes of getting into community nursing in the future. That is defiantly an area I have not explored yet.

How do you set priorities in your work?

For healthcare, I would assess the care of my patients and identify which care is urgent and needs my attention immediately. I think you always re-assess your patient’s stability and constantly care that your mind is always creating tabs of most priority.

This comes with experience, so do not feel like you need to figure it out at a set time in your career. Some people also use a time planner to help schedule their shifts. 

If you had one piece of advice to give a prospective nursing and midwifery student, what would it be?

Do not feel like you need to know everything, some people may appear they do, but in reality, they DO NOT. Everyone is always learning, six years of nursing, and some days, I feel like I have no clue. This taught me that the medical field is always growing and we grow with it.

Take your own time and pause to figure things out. Do not be afraid to ask for help. Nursing is truly a rewarding filed and remember that you are part of something bigger than yourself, and its rewards extend beyond than the immediate patient you cared for.

Thank you again for having me, and it has truly been a pleasure.

Where can people reach out to you? (social media and email)

Email: nejimaggabose@gmail.com

Instagram: Nejima Gabose

LinkedIn: Nejima Gabose

Website: www.sabreenswindow.com / www.gmeventsandhire.com