X-ray Technician/Nurse Vanessa Vandenburgh

Mar 14, 2021 News

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Our Frontline Worker of this Week is…

By Malisa Playter-Harry

Kaieteur News – It has been just over a year since COVID-19 made its way to Guyana, and since then, various sectors have been affected in ways many of us could not have imagined. For one, the healthcare system, and by extension health workers, have been overwhelmed with the many cases they have been dealing with.
Although the delivery of health care has always been risky business, the novel COVID-19 brought with it some diabolical fear-factors – it is easily transmitted and can inflict a deadly blow to an impaired immune system.
Moreover, health care providers who battle on the frontline have been literally putting themselves at risk to save the lives of others. But we may assume that the job of a doctor, a nurse, a lab technician, a hospital janitor, a security guard or even a porter, for that matter, is quite easy. With such an assumption,one could become cocky enough to cast judgment on the work that these health workers do and even suggest that “I could do a better job.” But do we really know what it takes to be a healthcare worker on the frontline? Unless you are functioning in such a capacity, it just might be safe to say you don’t.
Today, we feature a nurse who has been working tirelessly in the Radiology Department at the New Amsterdam Hospital for the past 25 years and despite the negatives that come along with the job, this nurse has managed to perform her job in a most professional manner.

PASSIONATE
Forty-four-year-old, Nurse Vanessa Vandenburgh, of Lot 694 Ordnance Forthlands, East Canje, Berbice, began her journey in the health sector during a work study stint at the New Amsterdam Hospital and at that time, the Radiology Department was not in operation. The administrator at the time, she said, had encouraged her to make an application for an X-ray Technician Training. Without thinking twice, Nurse Vandenburgh said she jumped at the opportunity “and here I am today, 25 years later, with the same passion for my job as the day I applied for it.”
Nurse Vandenburgh, before becoming successful in her field of work, attended the All Saints Primary School in New Amsterdam and then went on to attend the Berbice Educational Institute. She graduated in the year 1994. She then followed her desire to work in the medical field and proceeded to do the work study programme at the New Amsterdam Hospital. As noted above, she was encouraged to do the X-ray Technician Training Programme, which she completed in 1997. She was appointed the Supervisor for the Radiology Department on March 1, 2015. She was also trained to become a CT Technician in February 2020 and boasted of her online studies in COVID-19 course with Coursera.

BEYOND IMPORTANT
Vandenburgh is presently the head of the Radiology Department of the New Amsterdam Hospital and the role she plays during the pandemic is beyond important. She is currently the lone technician assigned to the Region Six COVID-19 Task Force and her responsibilities include performing x-rays on suspected COVID-19 cases. The x-rays are done to assist with diagnosing patients. Essentially, what she does allows the doctor to see the state of a patient’s lungs and thereafter a complete diagnosis can be made.
Happy with what she does daily, Nurse Vandenburgh said that she made the brave decision to volunteer on the task force, pointing out that while it was terrifying at first, she realized that one of the most important things was safety. “As time went by, I became very comfortable and confident with my duties,” she said. The career driven health worker noted that one of the challenges that came along with her job during the pandemic was the lack of cooperation from some suspected COVID-19 patients.
For her, it is heartening that she can help doctors in their diagnoses of a patient by providing them “clear and prompt” radiographs. Her role during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a quiet one, but one, nonetheless, worthy of recognition.
But the modest Nurse Vandenburgh is fully aware that she has only been doing her job “by the grace of God”and with the support of her hardworking colleagues. Her faith has also kept her going to be a mother to her two beautiful daughters, even as she endeavours to ensure that she remains healthy and active enough to and fight to eradicate COVID-19 continues.
To do your part, Nurse Vandenburgh reminded, that it is still important to follow all COVID-19 guidelines including: the proper wearing of face masks, social distancing and the practice of proper hygienic measures.
As we continue to salute the many frontline workers throughout the country and the world over for their commitment to fight on, it gives us the opportunity to be more appreciative of the work they do. Though there may be days when they simply cannot muster the energy to give a smile to a patient, these health workers, like Nurse Vandenburgh, must still be appreciated.

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