Fifteen nurses will be undergoing training later this year with Chamberlain University to upgrade their skillsets to that of Nurse Practitioner.
Minister of Health and Wellness, Mr. The Most Honourable Jerome Walcott, made this disclosure during the launch of International Nurses Week at the Savannah Hotel and Spa on Friday. The week, which runs from May 7 to 13, is being held under the theme Our Nurses. Our Future.
Mr. Walcott said the training for Nurse Practitioner was particularly important with Government’s goal of reducing non-communicable diseases by 50 per cent by 2035.
He added that the future of health care would be dependent on a resilient nursing workforce with improved skillsets and the ability to operate independently of medical practitioners.
“In addition, Government recently announced the creation of 18 Specialist Nursing posts, to allow for upward mobility of nurses in a number of other areas besides administration and education.
“Other initiatives include incentivising the nurses through programmes and rewards, and building the capacity of other educational institutions to be able to run specialised training courses for nurses,” the Health Minister stated, noting that the latter effort was being sustained by strengthening the capacity within the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, where nurses were encouraged to pursue Master degrees.
He further noted that the Ministry had entered a partnership with SickKids of Toronto to train 40 nurses in Pediatric Nursing to the level of a diploma in Paediatric Nursing, under a project called the Shaw Centre for Pediatric Excellence. Fourteen nurses have already completed their diplomas, while the second cohort is due to complete their training in June this year.
Additionally, Mr. Walcott told those in attendance that Government had heard the complaints of nurses, ranging from nursing shortages and conditions of work to lack of opportunities.
He said the Ministry of Health and Wellness remained committed to training nurses, while pointing out that there are currently over 400 student nurses enrolled at the Barbados Community College.
The Health Minister stated that nurses were being trained in the post-basic specialties of gerontology and public health, adding that midwifery training would resume in September, 2023.
“Government has, and continues to make significant investments in improving the capacity of the nursing profession. We recognise that nurses are critical in the Government’s roadmap to achieving the sustainable development goals and to ensuring Barbados’ commitment to universal health coverage and health for all,” Mr. Walcott stated.