Latest update November 23rd, 2024 1:00 AM
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GPHC gives recognition to 19 “awesome nurses” –100 expected to be certified by November
The visionary behind the ‘100 awesome’ nurses initiative, Sabrina Kazim.
By November of this year the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) is expected to have within its employ at least 100 nurses whose performances have qualified them to be labelled as “awesome”.
The awesome nurses are those who work at the public health facility and have been found to be exceptional in the way that they perform their nursing duties. But gaining the ‘awesome’ status is not merely determined by officials of the institution but rather by sickle cell patients who access health services at the institution.
Understandably the‘100 awesome nurses’ initiative is one that was conceptualised by a patient – Sabrina Kazim. Kazim who suffers from sickle cell anaemia is one of the many patients who have constantly sought treatment, particularly at the GPHC, throughout her life.
In fact it was the feedback from a number of regular patients that helped with the identification and eventual selection of 19 nurses of the institution who were certified as ‘awesome’ nurses yesterday.
At a simple ceremony held in the GPHC’s East Street, Georgetown parking lot, the nurses were presented with their certificates by veteran nurse, Gwendolyn Trotz.
Speaking at yesterday’s ceremony, Kazim disclosed that many patients seek care at the GPHC because the service is free. As such, she added, “we know the names of nurses…we know you. Based on your behaviour, how you treat us as patients, we can analyse and ascertain your personality traits.”
According to Kazim, she together with other sicklers (patients suffering from sickle cell) had long created a list of “the good” and “the bad” nurses they have encountered, not only at the GPHC, but other hospitals both public and private.
Kazim is currently the President of an organisation called FACES, a non-governmental organisation, which was established to fight stigma against persons with sickle cell. Over the years, she and many other patients have been subjected to stigma because of the disease they are afflicted with.
But being a proactive person, Kazim simply couldn’t sit on the information she and her associates were able to put together. They, through FACES, decided to take their list to the Director of Nursing Services (the Matron) with the possibility of bringing into being an initiative that recognised outstanding nurses.
The recognised nurses in the company of Ms Kazim, officials of the hospital and others.
A member of FACES is local artiste Michelle “Big Red” King who belted out, in ‘A cappella’ style, the lyrics of the song ‘That’s what friends are for’. King is also a sickler and she stressed yesterday that “we all need to work together.”
And there are some nurses who naturally want to give of the best, even at the GPHC. According to Kazim, “we believe that many times you hear a lot of negative things said about nurses, especially at Georgetown Hospital. But most of the times the very wonderful things that happen here are not recognised. Many of the wonderful nurses are not recognised…so we want to look at the positive,” said Kazim.
It was against this background that the ‘100 awesome’ nurses initiative was realised “to give nurses who are passionate about care giving and are dedicated even beyond the call of duty deserving commendation”.
“Awesome”, according to Kazim, was used to name the initiative, because it serves to emphasise that these nurses “inspire an overwhelming feeling of awe and admiration.”
It is Kazim’s expectation that the nurses who were duly recognised yesterday would inspire their colleagues to strive for similar recognition.
“I want to say to you guys who have been chosen, we want you to go out there and continue to be awesome; affect and infect the other nurses who are not there as yet and serve as role models and mentors for those nurses,” Kazim told the recognised nurses.
The ceremony was attended by several senior functionaries of the GPHC, including Chairman of the Board, Dr. Carl ‘Max’ Hanoman; Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Alan Johnson and Matron Collene Hicks, among others.
The officials, who also delivered remarks at the ceremony, also commended the initiative, and particularly the nurses who were recognised yesterday. It was disclosed that as other nurses are found to be outstanding they too will be added to the ‘awesome’ nurses list. The hospital is aiming to have a total of 100 nurses on the list by November.
To help boost the mannerisms of the nurses, they are also expected to benefit from etiquette sessions with Human Resource Specialist, Joyce Sinclair.
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