Family Ties

For Nimisha Purohit [BN/04], connection to the University of Manitoba and the College of Nursing has always been a family affair.

Two of her older sisters have degrees from the U of M. Sonal Purohit [BSc(Pharm)/01] is a pharmacist at Shoppers Drug Mart and Parusia Purohit [BN/01, MN/13] is a family nurse practitioner in Winnipeg.

Their father, Bachu Purohit, is a pharmacy consultant who is closely involved with, and supportive of, the university’s Active Living Centre and the Colleges of Nursing and Pharmacy through various activities and committees.

The daughter of Ugandan immigrants, Purohit cites her father as one of the people who inspire her to continually try to achieve more in all areas of her life.

“My dad has been my rock,” she says. “He has taught me that anything you want is possible, you just have to believe in yourself. His high degree of perseverance, drive and dedication has inspired not only my career path but also my life path.”

“Nursing has allowed me to be part
of a patient’s health-care trajectory.”

Purohit admits that as a resident of Winnipeg’s south end, convenience was one of the factors that compelled her
to attend the U of M.

“My sisters were attending the University of Manitoba at the time and free car pool is always an incentive,” says Purohit. “When I took a tour of the campus, I fell in love with its architecture. At first sight, the size of the campus was daunting, but that was its appeal.”

Working for the past five years as a nurse consultant for a Crown corporation, Purohit finds satisfaction in her career by following the journey of her patients.

“Nursing has allowed me to be part of a patient’s health-care trajectory,” Purohit says. “On a greater scale, nursing’s holistic approach is an integral part of the health paradigm that ultimately influences the quality of life of a community,
one person at a time.”

Purohit says her nursing work, which focuses on pain care management, is underpinned by the education
she received at the U of M.

“The College of Nursing has provided me with a solid foundation that has enabled me to think outside the box,” she says. “This has afforded me the ability to work in a variety of health-care sectors through my nursing career thus far.”

BY MARSHALL WIEBE