The Tribune

ENTRY into nursing programmes in the Bahamas is becoming a hot ticket.

The Ministry of Health's nursing cadet programme and the Bachelor of Science degree (BSc) nursing programme at College of the Bahamas are proving popular.

A total of 160 students (Grades 10-12) from the public and private secondary school systems in New Providence, Grand Bahama and Eleuthera enrolled in the nursing cadet programme during 2011 to 2012 - the largest one-year total since the programme was restructured in 2008.

Twenty-four Grade 12 students from public and private secondary schools in those islands recently graduated from the programme as nursing cadets with the hopes of going on to the Bachelor of Science degree in nursing programme at the college.

They will have to attain five BGCSE passes at grades C or above including English, maths and a science subject, in addition to meeting other criteria, to gain direct entry into the BSc programme.

Suitably qualified participants of the cadet programme get direct entry into the BSc - a four-year programme funded by the Ministry of Health through the Nurse Eucation Grant.

The students are also provided a monthly stipend ($475 for a minimum of 12 credits each semester) and are guaranteed a job upon graduation in a profession that has been called "recession proof" by health officials.

The Ministry of Health (through the Public Hospitals Authority), also provides housing for a limited number of successful participants from Grand Bahama and the Family Islands.

"The single largest group of healthcare professionals in the country is nurses. They continue to be an integral component of the healthcare sector," said Minister of Health Perry Gomez.

"However, there are not enough and there will be continued emphasis on the recruitment, training and retention of nurses in the Ministry of Health."

The nursing cadet programme is the main strategy for the recruitment of nurses. It targets senior high school students who are interested in pursuing nursing as a career and introduces them to the profession at Princess Margaret Hospital and community clinics.

"Almost 150 years ago, hospitals and some physicians (worldwide) saw women in nursing as a source of free or inexpensive labour and exploitation was not uncommon by nurses employers, physicians and educational providers who also discouraged formal 'book learning'," said Camille Johnson, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health.

"Nowadays, participants in the nursing cadet programme in the Bahamas have the option of entering the College of the Bahamas for a four-year programme leading to a BSc in nursing, a guaranteed job, and a profession that will serve them well for the remainder of their lives if they choose to remain in it," Ms Johnson added.

Participation in the nursing cadet programme, while encouraged as it gives students anywhere from one to three years' training in a clinical setting prior to beginning their studies at the college, is not the only way persons can enter the BSc programme

Full-time students at the college who are Bahamians, possess a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or above and have the minimum requirements can also qualify for the Nurse Education Grant. Completion of all college preparatory classes is also one of the requirements. Students must also demonstrate financial need.

"Nursing is an art as well as a science and so the Ministry of Health is targeting students with the brightest and best young minds in our society to enter the profession," Director of Nursing Marcel Johnson said. "It takes those kinds of persons to build this noble profession."

There are 164 nursing students currently in their second, third and fourth years of the BSc in nursing at the college.

"During this period, additional arrangements have been made for the financial support of 30 nurses during their internship period in the last year of their course of study. They will be paid a salary of $10,200 per annum," Dr Gomez said.

"The graduation class of nurses hail from the islands of New Providence, Grand Bahama, the southern and central islands of the Bahamas. These nurses will sit the Nursing Council's final examination for registration in November, 2012 and will subsequently be assigned to the Department of Public Health and the Public Hospitals Authority," Dr Gomez said.

Permanent Secretary Johnson said 'only good things' can come from choosing nursing as a profession.

"You become a member of the worldwide community of nurses whose aim is for its professionals to ensure quality healthcare for all, while maintaining their credentials, code of ethics, standards and competencies, and continuing their education," said Ms Johnson.

"We hope that you will set your feet firmly on a path that leads to Poinciana Drive and Thompson Boulevard."