Oda Community Health Nursing College holds matriculation

The Community Health Nursing Training College at Akyem Oda in the Eastern Region has held its matriculation ceremony for the 2023/24 academic year.

It was used to formalise the admission of 470 students into the institution.

The ceremony also coincided with the sod cutting for the construction of a two-storey lecture hall block with offices and ancillary facilities for the college.

More than just a career

The Principal of the college, Jones Abekah-Baah, stressed that nursing and midwifery were more than just a career but a calling that demanded unwavering dedication and an unyielding spirit.

He urged the students to be ready to take on the challenge that lay ahead, remembering that the road to success was never paved with ease, but fraught with countless hurdles, demanding long hours of perseverance and determination.

Mr Abekah-Baah told the students that hard work was the cornerstone upon which they must build their nursing and midwifery career, adding that it was through hard work that they would acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to provide exceptional care to patients.

He enjoined them to embrace challenges as opportunities of growth since each difficult situation they encountered in their journey would equip them with invaluable lessons and forge their character as nurses.

"Nursing and midwifery require an endless reservoir of compassion, empathy and selflessness, your patients will rely on you in their most vulnerable moments, placing their trust in your hands," he stated. 

Pursuit of excellence

Mr Abekah-Baah further advised the students to let hard work and determination be their guiding principles, as those would sustain them through the long nights of studying, the emotionally demanding days and the physical exhaustion.

"Remember the pursuit of excellence in nursing and midwifery is not solely about achieving academic success, but it is about the understanding that the care we provide has the potential to change lives," he stressed.

The principal said as they embarked on that remarkable journey, they must be steadfast in their commitment to their patients, their education and themselves.

He, therefore, admonished the students to embrace the challenges that lay ahead with enthusiasm, knowing that each step they took brought them closer to their goal of making a positive impact on the lives of those in need.

Needs, projects

Mr Abekah-Baah made a passionate appeal to the government and non-governmental organisations for a roadworthy bus to convey students for the practical attachments.

He said that was one of the many essential needs the college needed urgently to make teaching and learning more impactful.

The Principal further commended the college's stakeholders association and the staff for the collaboration to use the internally generated funds to finance the new lecture hall block.

The Chairman of the stakeholder's association, Ben Kuuku Baiden, who chaired the function, enumerated a number of development projects the association had provided for the college including a 10-seater toilet facility for the students.

Also at the event, some students who had excelled in the first semester examination were awarded.