DUBAI // Naeema Muallem loved playing with the first-aid kit as a child, pretending to take care of the sick and injured.
It was this drive to look after others that led the Emirati into nursing, to which she has dedicated 16 years at Dubai’s Rashid Hospital.
Now, she wants other UAE nationals to join her, and is keen to dispel the misconceptions surrounding her fulfilling profession.
“It started with my passion to help others and make them happy by relieving their pain and ending their suffering,” Naeema says.
“Since I was young I always played the role of the person who takes care of sick and injured people, cleaning their wounds and changing their dressings. All this made me choose nursing as my professional career.”
It was a choice Naeema, in her 30s, has never regretted. Her job is demanding but brings many rewards.
“I never forget the happiness I sense and see in their eyes when they are fully recovered and happily going back home to their families.”
A career highlight was the recovery of a taxi driver who suffered 40 per cent burns to his legs in an accident.
“One of the best memories I have was when he came back to the unit in his uniform just to show us how he had recovered and was back to work,” Naeema says.
The taxi driver gave her a “thank you” card, saying her support had been essential to his recovery.
“He said, ‘Because of you and your encouragement I managed to stand up on my feet again at a time I thought I had lost my life and my job as a taxi driver’,” she said. “He was thanking me for giving him back his life, while I was thinking that I was just doing my duty as a nurse.”
Despite the satisfaction the job brings, there are far too few Emiratis in nursing, Naeema says.
She believes this is partly because of the physical and psychological workload, and a lack of awareness among the public and the community of the role nurses play.
“More awareness is needed with regard to the different roles in nursing and career advancement opportunities,” she says.
“Many families object to daughters and wives working as nurses because of the shifts, long working hours, and that the work requires physical contact with men, which is taboo in conservative societies.”
Despite some progress, nursing still does not get the recognition it deserves, Naeema says.
Campaigns promoting the profession, school visits and organising hospital tours for pupils would help to educate people that nursing is a noble profession, which offers many options in clinical careers, education and management, she says.
“Career opportunities that the field of nursing could offer include being a nurse manager, educator, practitioner, researcher and a publisher,” Naeema says.
“With education, a nurse could hold a university bachelor’s degree and advance to a PhD degree.”
She says ambition, initiative, dedication, hard work, persistence and a spirit of teamwork is needed in her profession.
“I would strongly encourage anyone to choose nursing as their future profession,” Naeema says. “It is really hard to describe the feeling you get from caring for your patients.
“It is the complete sense of happiness, satisfaction and the gratitude to Allah for giving me the chance to help others, end their suffering and pain, save their lives and restore their functionality after major injuries or traumas.”
jbell@thenational.ae
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
WIDE%20VIEW
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Emirate: Dubai
Hobbies: I enjoy travelling, experiencing new things, painting, reading, flying, and the French language
Favourite quote: "Be the change you wish to see" - unknown
Favourite activity: Connecting with different cultures
Company%20Profile
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Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier, in Bangkok
UAE fixtures Mon Nov 20, v China; Tue Nov 21, v Thailand; Thu Nov 23, v Nepal; Fri Nov 24, v Hong Kong; Sun Nov 26, v Malaysia; Mon Nov 27, Final
(The winners will progress to the Global Qualifier)
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
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Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
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Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
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Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
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Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape
Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
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Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
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Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
Chinese Grand Prix schedule (in UAE time)
Friday: First practice - 6am; Second practice - 10am
Saturday: Final practice - 7am; Qualifying - 10am
Sunday: Chinese Grand Prix - 10.10am
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Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
