Today we shine a light on the dedicated efforts of Susan Claassen, a registered nurse, whose passion for care has extended beyond her hospital shifts, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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Susan is a registered nurse at Life West Coast Private Hospital.
Her mother, who was also a community healthcare worker, inspired her to take up nursing as a profession.
Throughout her career, which spans over two decades, Susan has dedicated countless hours to community health initiatives and to the upliftment of her community.
‘Driven by a force which extends beyond hospital walls,’ Susan has managed to make a career out of caring for others both on shift in the hospital and in the heart of the community.
Susan managed to rise through the ranks as she moved from being an enrolled nursing assistant to a qualified paediatric nurse. However, she claims that the most important lesson she has learnt throughout the years is the impact that one person can have on the lives of others.
Her community work focuses on facilitating workshops in which crucial health topics such as breast and prostate cancer, diabetes and teenage pregnancy are discussed.
In addition, she has partnered with communities, NGO’s and churches to promote primary healthcare and educate individuals.
Susan claims that one of her most impactful experiences included working with an organisation that empowers mothers and caregivers of children aged 1-4 to support their cognitive development and executive functioning by building the capacity of the adults around them. Here, she claims to have witnessed ‘the power of education firsthand.’
The dedication Susan has showcased has inspired her colleagues too. She began collecting plastic caps to donate to an organisation that recycles them to fund wheelchairs, after being motivated by her own experience of struggling to afford one for her mother. Since then, her colleagues have joined in, and together they are proudly collecting bags full of plastic bottle caps to help provide mobility and independence to those in need. She described the initiative as one that is incredibly close to her heart.
Community involvement to her means more than a mere act of charity. She views it as an extension of her calling to make a tangible difference in the world around her.
Today, Susan says she’s dedicated to caring, to quality, and to doing what she has set out to do both as a private hospital specialist nurse and in her volunteer work.
‘I always strive to achieve my goals, and that’s why I am where I am today,’ concludes Susan.
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Picture: Supplied
