Since I was a small kid, my dream has been to work in the medical field to help people and alleviate their suffering. I came to Canada in 2011 as an international medical graduate (IMG) under the Federal Skilled Worker immigration program. For 20 years, I worked as a physician in my home country, Egypt, and the Gulf, earning a master degree in forensic medicine and family medicine.
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Upon my arrival, I began the process of preparing for the medical license exams. During that journey, I realized the challenges of securing a job as an IMG despite fulfilling all the requirements. I began to explore unconventional pathways and change my career; this was not an easy decision, and I received minimal support from my family and friends. However, I trusted my intuition and couldn't find anything better than nursing to start my new journey and fulfill my life mission.
I trusted my intuition and couldn't find anything better than nursing to start my new journey and fulfill my life mission.
In 2015, I enrolled in the UNB/Humber College second entry nursing program, graduated with a BScN degree in January 2018, and secured a job as an RN at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital's GI floor in February 2018. Meanwhile, I also worked part time in the community as a visiting nurse to get both hospital and community experiences, and I also worked as an SADV nurse examiner with Trillium Health Partners for about a year in a casual position.
In 2019, I joined the Family Nurse Practitioner program at D'Youville University in Buffalo, NY, and earned my Family Nurse Practitioner M.S. degree in May 2021. I joined a family health team as a FNP in St. Catharines in 2021 for about 2 years, and currently I work in two senior nursing homes in St. Catharines as I am about to complete a Comprehensive Advanced Palliative Care Education (CAPCE) Program with Hospice Niagara next week.
I'm incredibly proud to be part of a profession that values knowledge, resilience, and compassion. I get the privilege of having a significant influence on people's lives and communities on a daily basis. Being able to bring comfort, ease suffering, and encourage healing is a great honour as well as a responsibility. Being a nurse and a nurse practitioner isn't just a job; it's a calling, and I am deeply proud to answer it. If I were to choose a career a hundred times, I would make the decision to choose nursing every time.
Sincerely,
Nevine Bekhit, FNP
