Nursing was never part of the plan for Sheriffa Allens, but destiny clearly knew better. Now, 40 years after her first day at Groote Schuur Hospital, she admits she wouldn’t have it any other way!
Cape Town, South Africa (07 May 2025) – Sheriffa Allens grew up thinking she wanted to become a teacher, but her plans took a different direction when her uncle organised for her to get a nursing bursary – an unexpected path that led her to purpose and pouring into the lives of others.
Her nearly 40-year career at the Groote Schuur Hospital began in 1987. The hospital quickly became her second home, where she spent long shifts working in various wards and departments that connected her to patients from all walks of life. Working with children in the oncology ward significantly contributed to her nursing journey.
“One of the best parts of my job was when I worked with children in orthopaedics, and especially in oncology and the children who had osteosarcoma. I said to myself, ‘I want to walk this road with them, but I can’t do it without knowledge,’ and so I completed an oncology course so that I could be a better partner to them,” Sheriffa explained.
“I worked for many years in orthopaedics, and I loved working alongside the doctors, but eventually I felt that I’d learnt everything, and I needed a new challenge. That’s when I took up the management position in night duty.”
From 2010, Sheriffa worked night duty as an assistant manager, an opportunity she didn’t know she would enjoy as much as she did, with every night offering a different experience.
“What I also enjoyed about it was that I was close to the staff and close to the patients.”
After nearly four decades of caring for patients, Sheriffa retired last month, undoubtedly leaving her mark as a Groote Schuur Hospital hero who nursed countless lives back to good health.
Now, she eagerly looks forward to a new chapter, planning to channel her passion for helping others into community programmes for the disabled in Beaufort West.
Sources: Heroes of Groote Schuur
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