16-05-2025
‘I need to be part of decision-making': Nurse beats odds to qualify as doctor
Onazo Daniso balanced life as a medical student by day and a part-time nurse by night.
On Wednesday her dedication was vindicated when she crossed the graduation stage at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), earning her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery ( MBChB) degree cum laude .
UKZN said the cum laude pass reflects an academic average of at least 75% across all her modules, which is a remarkable feat for anyone but even more so for someone who spent years juggling work, study, student leadership, financial hardship and the emotional weight of frontline pandemic duty.
'I have always wanted to be a doctor. I can't imagine doing anything else. I love my job and think I would have been miserable doing something else,' said the 29-year-old, who is an intern at Prince Mshiyeni Hospital in Durban.
Daniso's love for medicine began in the Eastern Cape town of Lusikisiki, where she grew up witnessing the health-care struggles of rural communities. The idea of becoming a doctor was further planted in her mind while in grade 11 and living with her uncle in King Williams Town.
'I was attending extra classes. One of the teachers pulled me aside and suggested I consider medicine. At first I doubted myself,' she said.
In 2013 while in matric she applied to study medicine at the University of the Free State but was accepted to study nursing, her second choice.
