Aroha Lynch continues family tradition in nursing

In 2023, when it was Aroha Lynch’s turn to pursue tertiary education, her parents had already sent two daughters through college, making her dream of becoming a medical doctor financially out of reach.

Instead of allowing that setback to cripple her future, the 20-year-old embraced nursing, a profession that runs in her family. With sacrifices from her parents, support from a nurse sister, and a scholarship from her church, Lynch is now on track to become the third nurse in her family, a path she now believes she was always called to follow.

“There’s one thing that I love about who I am and what I stand for, and it’s compassion. I do believe that compassion is a fundamental aspect of nursing, and so I believe that nursing is a calling of mine. Whether it is at the bedside or another avenue, nursing within itself is my purpose,” she told THE STAR. Lynch was recently named first runner-up in the NAJ/Lasco Chin Foundation Nurse of the Year 2026 Competition. She said nursing was familiar territory long before she enrolled at Knox Community College School of Nursing.

“I have two sisters who are nurses and went to Knox Community College, so I’m going to be the third nurse in the family. It is tested and proven that Knox Community College is the school of choice for nursing professionals,” she said. The Trelawny native said getting there required tremendous sacrifice from those closest to her.

“My parents decided that they were not going to allow me to pay a student loan. Come hell or high water, they didn’t care where they were going to get the money from, they were going to make sure that I entered the nursing profession debt-free,” she said.

“My parents made a lot of sacrifices for me, along with my sisters. I have one sister who is a nurse, and she also made some crazy sacrifices for me throughout my three years and now coming up to four years of nursing school.” She also hastened to mention her church, Mount Zion Apostolic Tabernacle, which offered her a $300,000 scholarship that was used throughout three years of her nursing studies.

The former Manchester High School student said she has always been driven to excel. Before attending Knox, she earned academic awards every year from grade seven through to graduation, and also won the All Together Sing competition as a member of the school choir in 2022.

Despite those achievements, Lynch said she never imagined placing among the country’s top nursing students.

“I wasn’t necessarily expecting it because the competition was so rigorous. Even leading up to the day of the ceremony, I wasn’t sure of my placement, so hearing my name being called as first runner-up was shocking. I’m extremely grateful,” she said. She also captured the award for excellence in knowledge of the Lasco Chin Foundation and placed second in public speaking.

While some members of the public have complained about nurses lacking empathy, Lynch said compassion is what she hopes to bring to every patient she encounters.

“I will be a change agent, and one of the fundamental things I’ll be bringing to the table is compassion. I think a lot of persons believe compassion just means rubbing a shoulder, holding a hand or saying, ‘You’re doing fine.’ Compassion is much more than that,” she opined. “I view compassion as being preventative, looking out for your patients before they reach a state where it’s detrimental to their health. It’s looking out for my colleagues and making sure my patients are cared for holistically.”

She reasoned that that care not only includes giving medication or dressing a wound.

“It’s tapping into their emotions and asking how they’re feeling, because all of those aspects play a vital role in their health,” he said.

As she prepares to join Jamaica’s nursing workforce, Lynch hopes others considering the profession will see it as more than carrying out doctors’ orders.

“Nurse with your heart. Nursing is much more than people think. It is power, it is leadership, and there’s so much more that a nurse can do.”