Amoah Josephine is an amazing personality. Interacting with her was easy & exciting because she was as natural and as open as possible.
She answers each question with so much passion, you can feel the pulse, the energy flowing as she conveys her thoughts & ideas.
This interview has revealed that she is a Nurse who is a true mentor, one ready to coach the next generation of Nursing Professionals into their big potentials.
Come on, let’s give you a little peek into her amazing world…
Who Is Josephine Amoah? Can we meet her? Tell us who she is, what she does, and where is she from?
Josephine:
I am a UK Registered General Nurse (RGN), Career Coach, Mentor, and an Author. I trained as an adult nurse in the UK, and I have been practicing professionally as a nurse for nearly 11 years.
I was born and bred in Ghana, West Africa but migrated to England, the UK in my mid-teens.
Your brand. Tell us how you found it, and how you are building it.
Josephine:
In 2020, I decided to give back to the nursing profession by mentoring 10 Africa nurses from Ghana and Nigeria for free; some were qualified nurses and others were in their last year of nursing school.
Through this mentorship program, Bina Consults, my company was borne.
Initially, Bina Consults was to serve as my mentorship and coaching business, and it was for a year or so.
During that same period, I was also offering consulting services to Healthcare facilities in Ghana, West Africa.
The coaching/mentoring and the consulting business became two different entities, so a few months ago, I decided to offer the coaching and mentoring services under my own name Josephine A Amoah. Because people knew me as the name behind Bina Consults, the transitioning was quite seamless.
Bina Consults now solely serves as a Consulting and training business for Healthcare facilities in Ghana.
I’ve been able to build and maintain my brand by networking with like-minded people and people who believe in me and what I stand for including nurses and student nurses.
They have been so supportive of my brand; what I represent and what I deliver.
My brand is not where I want it to be yet, but every day, I get closer to that goal by putting the right building blocks in the right positions. It is a work in progress and I am grateful to all the people and the opportunities that have come my way.
How did you discover this novel & unique aspect of Nursing? The specialized niche of Nursing Coaching/Mentorship.
Josephine:
When I qualified as a nurse and for about 6 years after qualifying, I felt lost in terms of where I wanted my career to take me.
I aspired to take up leadership roles, but I did not know how to get to where I wanted to be. I spent years moving from one nursing job to another, trying to find what I wanted; a job that will bring me fulfillment and help me make an impact in the nursing profession.
Through Networking and talking to some senior nurses, I was somehow enlightened and managed to decide on a career pathway.
During those years that I felt “lost”, there were no nurse mentors or nurse career coaches that I was aware of; career coaching and mentorship for nurses outside of the hospital environment were unheard of.
I then decided to do whatever I can in my own way to help other nurses who found themselves in the same position that I found myself many years ago.
I decided to become a career coach/mentor for 2 reasons:
1) to help nurses navigate their careers with ease and find nursing careers that they enjoyed, without wasting many years as I did; and 2) I wanted to leave a legacy in the nursing profession by making a positive impact on my fellow nurses as well as student nurses worldwide.
We are having more Nurse Coaches, Mentors, Mentorship Programmes & Communities springing up from all over the place. Can you tell us what makes you unique?
Josephine:
I am so glad that there are lots of coaches and mentors around these days; that’s good news for the nursing profession.
But what sets me apart is the personal touch that I bring to my coaching and mentoring. For any nurse that comes to me for coaching or mentoring, I make it a point to go above and beyond to make sure they achieve the career goal/s that they want to achieve.
I show them that I care about their problems or what they want to achieve and that I understand them too because I’ve been in their positions.
This is reflected in the reviews that I receive from nurses that I coach/mentor. I also have an open-door policy so nurses can contact me any time with any questions they may have. Even after the coaching or mentorship contract has ended, I still keep in touch with them; the relationship doesn’t end when their contract ends.
How did you find yourself in the nursing profession?
Josephine:
I actually “fell” into nursing. In fact, I disliked nurses when I was younger because they always gave me injections whenever I was ill and was taken to hospital.
After I moved to the UK, I went to the sixth form and studied GNVQ Business Studies for one year. After I completed this course, I didn’t want to pursue business studies anymore as I didn’t like the subject that much.
During a conversation with my parents one day, they suggested nursing to me.
At first, it sounded bizarre to me as I had never thought of nursing or any other healthcare profession. But my parents’ suggestion made sense; I’ve always been a kind and empathetic person, so I thought about their suggestion and decided to give it a try. And the rest, they say, is history.
I haven’t had any regrets about becoming a nurse
What spurred you to enter into healthcare media?
Josephine:
I have always had the desire to make an impact in the nursing profession. And what is the best medium to use to make that impact? Social media.
I didn’t intentionally plan to enter healthcare media per se, but in 2020, during the covid-19 pandemic, I got the opportunity to network with some amazing African Nurses who were leaders in their own rights.
They were making a huge impact in Africa and beyond, using media, specifically social media. So, I learned from them and followed suit and again, the rest is history.
Being in the healthcare media space has enabled me to reach my target audience worldwide and achieve the impact that I’ve always yearned.
Being a nurse writer also enables me to share my experiences, encourage and share.
Tell us about your mentor(s), do you have any?
Josephine:
I haven’t got any official mentors, but I do have African Nurse Leaders that I call mentors as they continuously strive to go against the status quo and bring needed changes to the nursing profession in Africa.
They are Mr. Josiah Jackson Okesola (Nigeria/UK), Mr. Eze Obinna Victor (Nigeria), and Professor Beatrice-May Banda (Zambia).
What are the greatest challenges that you have fought through? What lessons have you learned? Can you share some of them with us?
Josephine:
As an African nurse in the UK, my biggest challenge has been and continues to be racism.
A lot of ill-treatment, microaggressions, and lost job opportunities, for me, were down to pure racism.
This is something that was not talked about much but was rife for years in the nursing profession.
Racism is still common in the UK Nursing and healthcare system, but it is now being brought to the attention of the whole world through social media.
Africa nurses are tired of being treated differently and they are also tired of not progressing in their careers just because of their skin color.
Personally, my career progression was thwarted several times because of sheer racism but that did not and does not deter me. That has been the biggest challenge so far in my nursing career.
Tell us about your new book, and how you found the inspiration to write it.
Josephine:
My new book “How To Be Great Nurse: 15 characteristics Needed by the Modern Nurse” is a guidebook for nurses; it talks about 15 essential characteristics which the modern nurse needs to possess in order to become great in their nursing career.
The idea for the book came to me in 2020, while I was mentoring 10 African nurses.
The advice that I was giving to them during our sessions was what inspired me to write the book. My aim for the book is to reach as many nurses as possible worldwide and help them to navigate their professional lives as well to help them to become great nurses.
My book is a must-read for every nurse, student nurse, and those aspiring to enter the nursing profession.
In writing your book, how was the process? What has it taught you?
Josephine:
Writing the book was a labor of love; it was hard work but worth it. There were times that I gave up writing the book because the writing process was tedious and time-consuming, but I always reminded myself of my reason for writing the book in the first place.
My experiences and knowledge as a nurse helped me to write the book. Writing the book taught me that no nursing experience or knowledge is wasted. It also taught me that nurses are dynamic and versatile, and we can achieve whatever we put our minds to.
On leadership & Innovation – Tell us what you are learning
Josephine:
I am learning that nurses don’t have to have the titles “leader” or “innovator” before they can lead, innovate, or make a positive influence in the nursing profession.
With the experience, skills, and knowledge that nurses have, we can achieve so much more, without having those titles.
Nurses worldwide, especially African nurses, are using the skills, knowledge, and resources that they have to make a great impact on their patients and the profession at large.
This is commendable and must be celebrated and encouraged.
To the young Nurses & Healthcare Professionals who are thinking about venturing into the world of Healthcare Innovation & Leadership, what do you have to tell them?
Josephine:
The Nursing profession is not all about bedside nursing anymore, as it has been in previous years.
The nursing and healthcare landscapes are rapidly changing, and nurses are at the forefront of nursing innovation.
There are also now more nurses in leadership positions in different sectors across the world, making huge impacts in nursing and healthcare.
I would advise and encourage any nurse who is interested in Healthcare Leadership and Innovation to go ahead and pursue that career dream.
In the next 5 or 10 years, there will be so many nurse leaders and innovators who will be breaking the proverbial glass ceiling and steering healthcare and nursing in the direction that it should go.
This is something that will benefit our patients, who are our main reason for doing what we do as nurses.
The future of African nursing is looking so bright from where I am standing and it just makes me so happy to be part of that anticipated change.
What kind of books do you enjoy? Tell us a bit about them.
Josephine:
I’ve always enjoyed reading books in the fiction genre but recently, I’ve also been reading non-fiction books.
I Am currently enjoying a book which was written by another nurse, Christie Watson, titled – The Language of Kindness: A Nurse’s Story.
The book takes readers along with the author on her nursing journey and the patients’ lives that she touched. it is one of those books that readers will find hard to put down.
What do you do when you are not working? During your leisure time
Josephine:
When I am not working in my full-time job, I am working for my business.
Unfortunately, being a full-time employee and an entrepreneur is not an easy combination.
It gets tough sometimes, but with lots of forward planning and prioritizing, I can keep afloat and not drown under all the responsibilities.
I also love to spend time with my family and loved ones when am not working. As you are aware, running a business is not easy and there are lots of late nights and sometimes missing out on family time.
But my family has been a blessing and they have been so tolerant and supportive; I couldn’t achieve all that I have without them.
What do you think the future of nursing practice will look like in West Africa & Africa?
Josephine:
The future of African nursing is looking so bright from where I am standing and it just makes me so happy to be part of that anticipated change.
African nurses are not in slumber anymore; we are hungry for recognition; we are hungry to be heard and seen; we are hungry to better the healthcare system for our patients and the nursing profession at large, and we are hungry for change.
There are lots of young, ambitious, hardworking, innovative, forward-thinking young African nurses in Africa and beyond that are working publicly and behind the scenes to bring about much-needed changes to the nursing profession in Africa.
It’s a great time to be alive, I tell you.
So I will urge everyone to watch this space. It’s going to be awesome with all the anticipated changes in African nursing.
This brings us to the end of this amazing interview.
Do you have any final words for us? Maybe a few words to inspire those reading this interview.
I would like to thank all African nurses in Africa and outside Africa for all their hard work.
The job of a nurse is tough, but we do it with so much dignity.
Nursing is a hard and an underappreciated profession therefore, we need to remember to be kinder to ourselves and our nursing colleagues.
We need to also continue to develop ourselves personally and professionally to be able to drive the change that we want to see in the nursing profession and healthcare in Africa.
Nurses must continue with their hunger to learn more and achieve more.
Lastly, African nurses need to come together as one. With one voice and one mind, we will achieve all the great things that we want to see in the profession, as well as Africa as a whole.
Interviewed By Ayinla Daniel (CEO/Founder Care City Nigeria)
Refreshing. We know you enjoyed every bit of that interview.
Exhilarating. Amoah has literally taken us all on a joyride as we have together entered into her world.
Furthermore, if you want to enjoy more of her ideas, experiences & philosophies, why not grab a copy of her new book here on Amazon or visit her Website. Share it with your colleagues & friends, and let’s spread the innovative gospel together.
Find Josephine on:
LinkedIn here,
Instagram As: @josephineamoah_ ;
Facebook: @Nurse Josie_ and @Josephine Amoah (Facebook Page)
You can also check out what she’s up to on her YouTube channel here.
We have interviewed other amazing Nurses on INSPIRE. Their unique stories are charged with enough energy to inspire you to do more. Find the interviews here.
And if you would love to feature on INSPIRE, or you are doing something for the Nursing community that you feel the world should know about, kindly send us a message here, we will be glad to help amplify your voice & your message – that’s our primary goal as an innovative community.
Our Digital Health Hub, Carecode is organizing a Bootcamp For Beginners on Python Programming Language for Nurses & Healthcare Professionals.
Python is one of the most famous programming language on the planet and it’s easy to learn, compared to other programming languages (though JAVA is still an amazing language).
What is more interesting is that Python is an extremely versatile language. Its utilization in the healthcare industry know no boundaries.
In this “bootcamp,” we want Nurses & Healthcare Professionals to appreciate Python (nothing complex, just basic stuff). Behind our plans (is something even bigger), we want to also inspire Nurses & Healthcare Professionals who are thinking of building a career in the Digital Health Industry to start taking little steps towards their dreams.
If you are interested (you should) send us a message at carecode@carecityonline.com (with your most favourite mail address) with your name, profession, location & any cool stuff about you (Use subject – Python Classes). We will keep communicating with you via your mail.
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