Emergency nursing in Jamaica
Trecia Simone Stewart is an emergency nurse working in a hospital situated between two major highways and what she describes as some “volatile” communities in Spanish Town, Jamaica.
The hospital treats a large number of trauma patients with injuries including gunshot wounds and road traffic accidents. It has also recently had to manage a large dengue outbreak.
“I love the fact that I’m the first person that the person comes in contact with when they come into the emergency department and the fact that whatever care I provide for the patient will be a lasting one. So, I try to always provide quality patient care and I try to always do my best so that my patient is given the best healthcare. I want the patient to be treated how I would want to be treated if I was in a healthcare facility, so I am going to give my best so that quality care is given.”
Getting good care to patients has been easier since the creation of a new, bigger emergency department, but it’s still not big enough to cope with the fast-growing local population. “The hospital was built in 1952, but since then we have had a lot of development and the population has basically outgrown the size of the hospital.”
Trecia also highlights the fact that many colleagues are migrating — moving away to work in other hospitals or leaving the country completely — leaving the centre short of staff.
She is proud to be a nurse: “Nursing is a very noble profession. It’s good to see the World Health Organization recognizing the work we do. And just a quote from Calvin Coolidge, ‘No person has ever been honored for what he received. Honour has been the reward for what he gave.’ That’s a nurse. “
Patient Sherycka Hall agrees: “Nurses are the first people you see when you enter the hospital, they do your tests, ask you, if they can give you any advice they do and then they send you over to the doctor. Even if chaos is happening around him or her, they need to know how to control themselves within whatever situation.” And it helps when they are caring: “Nurse Trecia is a well-rounded person. She knows how to be calm in the midst of chaos, but she also has a big heart.”
Originally published at https://www.who.int on February 7, 2020.
