Ministry grappling to address tutor shortage

Jan 06, 2018 News

…as preparations are made to train another batch of nurses

Director of Health Sciences Education, Ms. Seraiah Validum.

The country’s nursing schools, which fall under the purview of the Public Health Ministry, are currently faced with an especially daunting shortage of tutors. In fact, so dire is the situation that the Ministry is looking to recruit new blood before it commences fresh training programmes in March.

This publication got wind of the state of affairs through an advertisement published in a daily newspaper. Based on the advertisement, the Ministry is looking to address tutor shortages at the nursing schools in Georgetown, New Amsterdam and Linden.

The dilemma was confirmed by Director of Health Sciences Education, Ms. Seraiah Validum. Ms. Validum, who assumed the position of Director about six months ago, observed that the shortage situation is one that has been linked to wanting remuneration.

Because of this situation, she confided that it has not been an unusual reason for these professionals to opt for greener pastures.

For this reason, she has since made a recommendation that moves be made to improve the remuneration package of tutors. However, this could only become a reality if it gains Government’s approval.

Since remuneration has been linked to the depleted cadre of tutors, it is likely that it will remain a challenge for some time.

“For a big school like the Georgetown School of Nursing there should be about 33 tutors, but in Georgetown there are currently about 12. In New Amsterdam there are three tutors…that is the reality of the situation we are faced with,” said Validum.

According to the Director, while the Public Health Ministry will be looking for the best qualified persons to take on the task, only those who fully understand the nursing curriculum will be considered suitable applicants. This will therefore mean that only persons who have passed through the local nursing system can apply.

“If we look to persons from overseas, they will not be following the same curriculum like we do; they may not have the same physical settings like we have at our hospitals,” Validum said.

Among those who are being sought to fill the gap are qualified registered nurses or midwives who are registered with the local General Nursing Council and have a minimum of three years post-qualification experience and a degree in nursing or a certificate or diploma in Education from a recognized university.

Also eligible to apply are registered nurses or midwives who are also registered with the Council and have other basic qualifications in nursing such as paediatrics, psychiatry, have a health sciences tutor certificate or would have completed an approved course in teaching methodology and/or clinical teaching, along with a minimum of three years post-qualification.

But according to Validum, for those who are interested in the pedagogical task but may not have training as an educator, measures are being put in place to have them undergo a one-year education course.

“To be a tutor, you must have the art to teach, so we actually want them to do that training to prepare them…and this is something that we will be doing in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation,” Validum quipped.

Persons interested in taking up the tutorship challenge are invited to submit their applications along with a detailed resume to the Permanent Secretary of the Public Health Ministry before next Friday [January 12, 2018 at 15:30 hours].

The January 12, 2018 deadline has also been given for the submission of applications for those desirous of undergoing training in the Professional Nursing and Nursing Assistant training programmes. These training programmes will however commence on March 5, 2018.

According to Validum, much like the shortage in nursing tutors, the country continues to suffer from a deficiency of nurses. This situation, she said, has also been linked to wanting remuneration, which has forced many trained nurses to take their skills abroad. She divulged that while “we should have 44 nurses to every 10,000 persons, we currently have about 12 nurses to every 10,000 persons because of the migration situation.”