A long serving nurse and midwife has spoken of her journey as a professional and the principles that should come with the job.

Current President of the Private Health Sector Nurses and Midwives of Samoa, June Scanlan Lui, gave a personal testimony of the challenges she faced on the job as part of celebrations to mark the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife.

She said she faced challenges but midwives should not forget the value of the role that they play in the community. 

“Being a midwife is very challenging, but it is the profession that I chose. Some of the midwives tend to forget the value of being a midwife because they think too little of being a midwife,” she said. “This year is for the nurses and midwives all over the world and it’s been encouraged by the International Council of Nurses.”

Samoan nurses and midwives gathered at the Hotel Millenia on Thursday for a meeting to discuss their annual calendar and activities as well as commemorate the year. 

Mrs Lui said a lot of people do not acknowledge the importance of midwifery as a profession, and added that for her it was her falling.

“For me, midwife is a calling. There are a lot of aspects a girl or a boy needs to have in order to be a good midwife, but the one value that a midwife should always have is love,” she said. “No matter who or what we deal with, it all comes down to us to do our job to make sure the patient’s needs are being done.”

Saying that she is proud of her background as a nurse and midwife, Mrs Lui said she became a midwife because she was passionate about helping people. 

Mrs Lui said anyone considering midwifery as a profession should be ready to show love to their patients as the ‘patient is always right’.