The Tribune

By Denise Maycock

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

TWENTY-FOUR high school students completed the Nursing Cadet Programme at the Grand Bahama Health Services last week bringing an end to several weeks of training at the Rand Memorial Hospital. The group is anticipated to enter the country’s nursing sector, which is currently experiencing a crisis due to the retirement of nurses in the country and the global demand for such workers.  

In Grand Bahama alone, the public health care system is short of some 55 registered nurses, according to Principal Nursing Officer Cherlyn Bain. The cadet programme was introduced over a decade ago to attract and recruit more young people to the profession to address the nursing shortage.

Students from various high schools on Grand Bahama reported every Tuesday to RMH to gain hands on experience and training. The candidates learned how to take vitals, and the fundamentals of patient health care.

Ms Bain said the cadets are encouraged to obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing by enrolling at the University of The Bahamas.   

She noted that nursing grants are available for students enrolled in the UB nursing programme, and that their tuition is paid by the Ministry of Health.  

“Right here in Grand Bahama, we are short of about 55 registered nurses and I will tell you why. Health, providing health care for all, encompasses not only health care delivery in the hospitals, but also in the various clinics, at home and the schools. Because of that, we want to make sure that we deliver quality health care to persons throughout the community. That is what National Health Insurance is all about and for us to meet the people where they are I need qualified nurses to do so,” she said.