Zeenatkhanu Kanji: A Role Model for Nursing Profession

Zeenatkhanu Kanji has had over 30 years experience in nursing, studying and working in East Africa, the UK, Canada, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Over 10 of these years were spent at Aga Khan University School of Nursing (AKU-SON), where she held senior administrative and teaching positions, contributing significantly to faculty and curriculum development and research.

Kanji obtained her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Illinois, Chicago, USA, and is currently  undertaking a PhD at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. She interrupted these studies for a year in 2003, to initiate AKU-SON's programme for capacity building and infrastructure development in Afghanistan.

What inspired you to pursue a career in nursing?

I was born in a developing country in Mombasa, East Africa, and my father earned only 400 Kenyan Shillings (US$ 5), which had to feed six of us in the family. My mother was a housewife and also looked after four developmentally challenged children who lived with us, earning 400 Kenyan Shillings (US$ 5) a month. After finishing school, I worked as an auxiliary nurse to contribute to our family income. Whenever I reflect on how I joined nursing, I thank 'Allah' for being born into a family with limited resources, and being forced to work as an auxiliary nurse, which gave me the opportunity to observe the nursing profession and realise that I was a people's person. 

What milestones have you passed during your 30 years in the nursing profession? 

After working as an auxiliary nurse for one and half years, I felt I could take on nursing as a career.  So, I was very excited, when I got accepted into the nursing diploma programme at Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1968. But my parents were reluctant to let me go, as they had by then also found me a possible husband. However, I did not want to get married at that point, as it would not allow me to pursue my career in nursing. Therefore, I moved away from home to join the diploma nursing programme. I consider this action to be a turning point in both my personal and professional life.

Another significant event was the commissioning of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Aga Khan University Hospital in 1987. I was by then a full-time BScN student in Canada, and had come over to Karachi for my summer holidays. It was a great challenge to convince the medical professionals to work collaboratively with nurses, and to demonstrate that nurses were equally knowledgeable in caring for newborn babies.

Acceptance into the PhD programme in 2001 at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, was the third important moment in my life, as it allowed me to pursue my philosophy of lifelong learning. I hope to complete the programme, even if it means going at a snail's pace!

What were some of the challenges you faced in your work, especially in Afghanistan?

Working in Afghanistan felt like living in the past, and we faced difficulties with basic amenities such as water, electricity, transportation, and the non-availability of appropriate equipment. But getting the opportunity to work for a year in Kabul, assisting the Intermediate Medical Education Institute (IMEI) to set up skills, computer and science laboratories was truly the experience of a lifetime. The IMEI is a governmental institution and has the primary responsibility of training nurses, midwives and allied health professionals in the country. It involved collaborating with numerous stakeholders and trying to come up with the best options, taking into consideration the lack of financial, material and qualified human resources.

When systems are in place, we take a lot of things for granted. I found that working in Afghanistan, I had to be astute and think of innovative ways of teaching even the basic skills. To give you an example, teaching first year nursing skills, such as bathing a patient, taking vital signs and hand washing, is usually a fairly straightforward task. However, due to decades of war, there was no equipment available. Therefore, a list of equipment had to be identified, priced, purchased, and then delivered to the IMEI. For safe keeping of this equipment, cupboards and locks had to be bought. This is how we had to start putting systems into place.

Building the infrastructure was yet another challenge. The well supplying water had gone dry because of a severe drought, so it had to be dug deeper, and a water pump needed to be installed. This did not resolve the issue because we soon discovered other problems such as leaking pipes and a non-functional drainage system. This experience has strengthened my faith more than ever before.  I now strongly believe that if there is a will, commitment and appropriate support available, positive outcomes are achievable, even in the most difficult of circumstances and environments.

What are your future plans and how will your doctoral studies assist you in planning and managing nursing education?

Working internationally gives me immense satisfaction, so I have dedicated myself to working in developing countries in the future. One has to be better equipped when working  overseas. Although I had a Master's degree in nursing, I found this was not enough. Doctoral studies are giving me the opportunity to observe and work with various faculty members and learn innovative ways of teaching and conducting research. I intend to become an informed researcher, a facilitator for other faculty members, and a role model for students. 

How do you balance a demanding career with your personal life?

It is a challenging experience, to say the least! But during my travels, I have met the most wonderful people who have become my family and have supported me in sharing the responsibility of looking after my son. I also find that my positive, optimistic attitude enables me to find the right balance in my life, knowing that there is always a ray of hope at the end of each difficult journey.