Lotoya Brown: passionate about being a nurse

Twenty-four-year-old registered nurse, Lotoya Brown, was drawn to her profession by a rather peculiar factor: the colour of the uniform.

"I love the uniform and what it signifies. Nurses dressed in full white. For me, white signifies the purity that nurses possess to be able to care for and nurture patients," Brown said.

Further directing her career path was the fact that Brown comes from a family of nurses, as her aunt, sisters and cousins are nurses.

The York Castle High School graduate pursued her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing at the University of the West Indies School of Nursing, from where she graduated with honours last October.

She is now attached to the University Hospital of the West Indies as a full-time registered nurse, where she embraces her job with immense passion.

"It's such a fulfilling feeling when I take care of a patient and I am able to improve that patient's life, whether it is by nurturing, caring or educating that patient. The greatest thing is seeing them go home to their family in an improved condition," Brown shared.

One of the St Ann native's most memorable moments as a nurse occurred while she was still a student caring for a severely burnt victim.

"He was going through a rough time and he could not cope and manage mentally. He was stressed. I was the one who took the time to talk to him. In the end, he said, 'Nurse, you really actually touched my life today'," Brown recalled.

Despite her immense love for her job, Brown admits it is quite taxing.

"Once you're in the white uniform, there are so many expectations and so many responsibilities. We are teachers, counsellors, researchers, motivators. We do everybody's job to ensure the patient is taken care of," she noted.

Within the next two to three years, Brown hopes to take her career to the next level by becoming a critical care nurse, where she will care for critically ill patients in the Intensive Care Unit. But she says her ultimate goal is to become a nursing practitioner, who carries out functions similar to a doctor's.

For those considering a career in the field of nursing, she

advises that it is a serious commitment which should be driven by true love and passion for the career.

"If you don't love it, don't come into it because it takes a lot of commitment and dedication. As a nurse you are responsible for a life, you are the one standing in the gap between someone getting better or worse. If you don't have a passion for it, patients and circumstances will drive you crazy," Brown advised.