Wisconsin Teens Girls Forward Career Profiles

Do you have a career goal that you are determined to pursue no matter what obstacles stand in your way? You can achieve your dreams! Read below to learn about the exciting job of Hamidah Lalani, RN BSN for a rehabilitation and fitness program at Children�s Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee

When I finished college, the expectation from my family was to not go further in my education, but I wanted to do something that required courage, and that I enjoy at the same time, I just didn�t know what. I waited a whole year and when I saw the nursing program offered in my city and a number of girls were applying, I got interested and found out more about it. Initially, I did not like the idea of me being a nurse because I didn�t think I had that kind of tolerance and passion to help people, but with time I realized how fulfilling my job was and how much self satisfaction I receive by helping others.

No. My family was always against my education and never thought I could do much in life, but I proved them wrong because I believed in my abilities and my integrity, determination, perseverance, and passion to do something special in my life that I was interested in and enjoyed. I am from an Asian background and when I was a girl women were not accepted as respectable if they were working outside the home. Fortunately, things have changed a lot now and are still changing.

My job requires me to be tolerant, patient, and be professional. I work as a nurse clinician in the Rehab and fitness program at Children�s Hospital of Wisconsin, which requires me to care for the children who are born with some kind of disability that stops them from doing the simple daily activities like walking, changing their clothes, showering, speaking, etc. I guide them to the right resources to help them loosen those tight muscles so they can perform these activities. I send them for physical, occupational and speech therapy, and also to the orthotics where they can get equipment like wheel chairs, walkers, standers, splints, and braces to help with their mobility.

I completed four years of college and earned a Bachelors in Economics in Pakistan. I then got admission in nursing school and obtained my associate degree in nursing from Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan. Here in Milwaukee, I went back to school and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Alverno College. Right now I am enrolled to earn my Masters of Science in Nursing at Alverno and anticipate graduating in 2010.

I have done a number of community projects that have helped me practice my skills better. For example, I run a health and wellness clinic at my church for the people who don�t have insurance and monitor their blood sugar and blood pressure. I also help them stay healthy by giving health talks on heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and eating right etc. I also work to guide women to find the right profession for each individual by mentoring them to the profession of their choice, always being happy to tell others about nursing and my passion for care-giving.

I work with computers a lot by keeping patient records and research files for my reference. The telephone is another technology that I use a lot at work to get in touch with the patients to find out about their progress in therapy, and getting the equipment from various orthotics. In my profession, we work with technology by using power wheel chairs, and supportive equipments to help patients with their walking, sitting, standing and other daily tasks.

Do you think that women are or can be treated differently from men in your field?

I believe that women are treated with respect in the nursing profession because they are natural care givers.

The first and foremost advantage of being a women in my career is that we are born with natural ability to care for our families and have the tolerance and passion needed to do the job.

When you think about your workplace, what departments/fields do most of the women work in?

In nursing, women have countless opportunities to specialize in an area that is interesting to them, including management. For example, you can work with patients in the hospital, you can care for them in the clinic setting, you can be a manager in any department in your hospital, you can work as a computer programmer to set up patient data, you can also be a teacher at school or college to teach nursing students, you can be a home health nurse, you can run your own business by recruiting nurses for the job, you can be a travel nurse and you can also be an educator in the hospital to teach patients and staff about living a healthy life. Mostly nurses like to work in the in-patient hospital area and care for the very sick as it gives the most satisfaction.

Nurses can earn from $60,000 to $120,000 per year or more depending on the work area and geographic location. There are nurses who travel and work in various hospitals in different states and earn very high salaries.

Do you think a woman�s appearance affects if she is hired to do a job or how people around her relate to her at work?

I think woman can make or break her own image by her character, values, and other skills she possess. There will always be people who would perceive women as inferior or otherwise, but the best way to keep a respected image is to believe in what we do and how we see ourselves, by having good values like honesty, integrity, courage, and passion for our profession.

Is there anything else you would like to tell girls about your career or how you got there?

I have worked very hard and fought many people in the quest of becoming what I am today including my father, and my husband. I had supported and raised my family, kept my job of 15 years and went back to school to get my degree I always wanted.

There is nothing in this world a woman cannot achieve once she puts her mind to it!

Hamidah Lalani was nominated for this profile by Jim Henderson, Alverno College. Thanks Alverno College for supporting women like Hamidah to make great contributions to our Wisconsin community!

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Questions for this Career Profile were developed by Milwaukee-area Girl Scouts. Are there specific questions you would like see included in Career Profiles? Email us your questions at WIGirlsCareers@wisconsin.gov