Black History Month: Nurses share hopes to increase representation in the field
Mutale Chabulembwa has spent decades as a nurse defying the odds and making her dreams become reality.
'Looking at my background, I can say I have achieved so much,' Chabulembwa told Channel 9′s Damany Lewis. 'I feel good, I feel proud. Sometimes, I get overwhelmed.'
For the last three years, she's walked the halls at Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill. But her journey as a nurse started thousands of miles away in Zambia, thanks to her sister.
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'My eldest sister is a nurse, so she came from training and she would tell us stories of nursing the patients,' Chabulembwa said.
That sparked her interest to become a nurse.
She worked in Zambia for 20 years in labor and delivery but realized nursing in America offers so many more opportunities.
So, she and her husband packed up and moved to the U.S., looking for more.
'It's so diverse. Nurses have the power – nurses do what they really are supposed to do, so I said let me give it a try,' Chabulembwa told Channel 9.
She said being a light for someone who's not having a good day sustains her passion: 'Seeing my patients smile at the end of the day – that for me is an amazing feeling.'
For 26-year-old Novant Presbyterian Hospital nurse Lauren Williams, the inspiration to become a nurse came from the medical team who took care of her younger brother Jayden.
'He had to have open heart surgery and so my parents made the decision to go to Boston Children's Hospital and we established care there,' Williams told Channel 9.
'They took care of all of us. It truly made an impact truly and I give them the credit to this day,' Williams added.
Williams said becoming a nurse was a tireless journey but well worth it.
'I had a lot of setbacks in school but I pushed through, so that was my motivation,' Williams said.
Both women are hoping others hear their journey and follow in their footsteps because healthcare needs more nurses, especially nurses of color.
According to a 2022 study from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, currently only six percent of nurses in the U.S. are Black. Williams and Chabulembwa agree representation is desperately needed.
'We do need more African American men and women in nursing in this profession. We have so many African American patients, we need representation,' Williams, pictured below on the right, said. 'Representation matters so much for us. We need that advocacy to speak up for us.'
'I can tell them the foundation has been laid for a person who looks like me. All you have to do is walk into it and someone will be there to hold your hand and walk with you,' Chabulembwa, pictured above on the left, said.
Two women leading the way and opening doors – for those who want to follow behind their footsteps.
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