Nursing Calamity - Specially Trained Nurses Leaving Jamaica In Droves

The ailing public health sector could be
hauled into intensive care as scores of
specially trained nurses have been
leaving Jamaica for higher-paying jobs
overseas. While Jamaican nurses have
always been in high demand in foreign
markets, the most recent exodus is
particularly worrying to health sector
insiders, who say overseas recruiters
have been targeting the most highly
trained nurses.



These nurses have spent years earning
speciality training in high-demand areas
of patient care, including midwifery,
critical care and operating theatre.
According to some sources, as many as
150 such specialist nurses left the island
last year.
According to president of the Nurses'
Association of Jamaica (NAJ), Janet
Farr, the migration of these specialist
nurses is having a calamitous effect on
the health sector.
Draining The System
"Last year alone, almost 90 specialist
nurses left one particular institution in
Kingston, and by specialist nurses I am
talking about nurses who are double
trained in midwifery, trained in accident
and emergency, trained in critical care,
and the recruiters are looking for these
nurses desperately, and the result is
draining our system," said Farr.
The NAJ president argued that the
Government needs to implement a
retention programme that would offer
highly trained nurses special incentives
in an effort to keep them in the local
health care sector.
"We understand that there might not be
enough money to pay them what they
are worth, but the Government could
offer them parcels of land or discounted
loans for cars. These are things that the
Government has done before, but we
don't see them doing it anymore. Offer
them something tangible that might
make them think twice before leaving,
because as we train them, they go,"
added Farr.
The flight of specialist nurses has had a
particularly negative effect on the
University Hospital of the West Indies
(UHWI).
According to CEO of the UHWI, Dr Cecil
White, the hospital lost a substantial
number of specialist nurses last year
despite its investment in the training of
these nurses.
"The UHWI offers specialist training
through its Nursing Staff Development
Division (in-service), for nurses in
critical care, emergency room nursing,
operating theatre nursing and midwifery.
Nurses are also given study leave to
receive specialist training in psychiatric
nursing, paediatric nursing, nephrology
nursing offered by the Ministry of Health
In-Service Education Unit," said White in
a statement to The Sunday Gleaner.
"Despite these efforts, during 2014, 50
specialist nurses resigned from the
UHWI, and have indicated that they are
migrating to North America," added
White.
Nurses That Left
He said specialist nurses who left the
hospital last year included 25 critical
care nurses, seven operating theatre
nurses, five nurses specialising in
midwifery and four emergency room
nurses.
White noted that the loss of such a large
number of trained personnel in such a
short period of time was placing
additional pressure on the hospital's
administration.
"Whenever specialist nurses resign, it
results in shortages and increases the
need for sessional work to maintain
satisfactory levels of patient care. It also
increases our administrative costs, as
replacements have to be recruited and
trained on an ongoing basis," stressed
White.
"Most of the nurses that resign cite
financial and family commitments as
their main reasons for leaving for
greener pastures. The UHWI is unable to
offer salaries to compete with the
packages being offered by the
recruiters."