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Mez Mohmed, district nurse

My story...

About me
My name is Mehzabin though people address me as Mez, and I live in Bolton with my family.

How did you get into nursing?
At the age of 11, I had an ambition of wanting to be a nurse simply from watching Casualty – my favourite TV programme. Moving onto secondary education I knew exactly what I wanted to be. My friends at school would often tease me about my future chosen career and would make negative comments, stating it was a 'dirty' profession. However, it didn’t put me off, because I had this brave yet strong passion set in my heart of wanting to nurse people who were ill.

My father wasn’t entirely happy…
At the end of my secondary education I went onto college in Salford for 2 years, hoping that it would prepare me for going onto higher education. My parents knew that I wanted to be a nurse but my dad wasn’t entirely happy with the thought, and he was trying extremely hard to redirect me into another career pathway. He would often tell me to follow my sister’s footsteps of becoming a teacher. Knowing that I felt so passionate about nursing, I wasn’t prepared to choose a career that didn’t interest me. It was extremely important obtaining my parents support in what I wanted to do, so in the meantime I found a job as an administrative assistant for Transco.

My dad could see me being disappointed and unhappy and so he decided to do his own research into nursing and find out what it entailed. Eventually, he began to realise that nursing is a good career, one which is very challenging yet rewarding. Thank God at this stage I finally gained my parents’ blessing and was successful in gaining a place at the University of Manchester for my nursing studies. During my nurse training I realised that looking after people wasn’t like the drama on Casualty, in actual fact it was far more intense and serious in real life and a big challenge and responsibility.

What jobs have you done since qualifying?
I have been qualified as a nurse since 2005 and have worked as a staff nurse looking after palliative care patients in a hospital in Manchester. I now work as a community staff nurse for a Primary Care Trust. I am based within a health centre and work within the District Nursing team. My role involves providing nursing care and advice to patients who are permanently or temporarily confined to their place of residence due to illness or disability and unable to use any form of transport as a means to access central clinics for treatment.

My parents are proud of me now
I must state that my parents fully supported me throughout and because of this I have achieved my dream and success in life. Now they are so proud of me. I know that I made the right decision and so do they.

What would you say to girls thinking about their future career?
I am a firm believer in higher education as it promotes individual independence. I would like the opportunity to share my experiences with different people in the community and inspire and motivate others with my interests around nursing.