Undervalued, unappreciated, omitted, and in need of urgent and just recognition

Jan 12, 2023 Letters

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Dear Editor,

As members of a distinct group of healthcare professionals called Nursing Tutors, functioning within the various nursing schools across Guyana  it is with a broken heart that we say we feel unrecognized as “essential Healthcare workers”.

These Training Institutions are structured under the Health Science Division of the Ministry of Health (MOH), equipped with tutorial staffing of various levels (Nursing Tutor 1, Nursing Tutor 2, Senior Tutor, and Principal Tutor), functioning according to a specific job description, Hence, our positions are legitimate according to Public Service Commission.

We are aggrieved as Nursing Tutors to have been marginalized and sidelined with regard to receiving fair remuneration and recognition. During the COVID-19 pandemic healthcare workers would have received a $25,000 risk allowance while we were exempted, even though we continued to perform our duties diligently during this period.  Inquiries were made regarding why we were exempted from the risk allowance and it was purported that we are not nurses. However, understand that this position cannot be attained without first being a registered nurse, moreover, you are expected to maintain your license/registration.  We are nurses, performing functions within the educational arm of the Nursing Profession. Without nursing education, the profession will cease to exist.

Recently, His Excellency President Dr. Irfaan Ali announced salaries adjustments for several categories of Public Servants made on the 12^th December, 2022, which I consider to be good and timely, did not include the nursing educators/tutors.  . Hence, as a group we made a petition on December 13, 2022 to the Honorable Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony and copied to the Permanent Secretary MOH, The Director of Health Sciences Education, Deputy Director of Health Sciences Education, Principal Tutors and Senior Tutors with regards to this omission. All the aforementioned authorities acknowledged receipt of the petition. However, to date there has been no official feedback in this regard. Another release was made for salary adjustment including others members of the health care system who was initially omitted on the 28^th December, 2022, again with the exception of nursing tutors or educators.

Mr. / Mrs. Editor we wish to highlight that we are key players in the healthcare arena, since nurses constitute the bulk of the healthcare workforce. As Nursing Tutors we are responsible for the training of Registered Nurses, Nursing Assistants, Midwives and Staff nurse midwives who fill the various health care levels within and outside of the country. Therefore, our roles are pivotal in` meeting the health care needs of the citizens across the diaspora of Guyana and farther afield. Please note that the roles and responsibilities of this seemingly invisible group of professionals are not limited to the mere eight hours per day work. Rather, we are on call 24 hours per day to sometimes cater for unexpected students’ affairs and additional assignments from our superiors. Yet, the relevant authorities have not deemed it fitting to renumerate us justly.   Nursing Tutors are demoralized by virtue of having no professional identity, because the very authorities we have committed to serve, have purported that ‘we are not nurses’, neither can we be categorize as Teachers. So, under which category does this small, highly qualified, vital group of public servant falls?

Below is a comparison of salaries between the Nursing Tutors/Educators and the other categories of nurses which will take effect from January, 2023.

As Nursing Tutors we are qualified beyond the basic Nursing diploma (registered nurse/staff nurse), for example: specialized in Midwifery, Pediatric Nursing, Sociology, and Psychology, while others possess, Diploma in education, a certificate in nursing education through the University of Miami, a Bachelor’s Science Degree, and a Master’s Public Health as well as possessing years of post-graduate experience, which is a prerequisite requirement for employment as a nursing educator. How fair is it then that we the professionals, tasked with the responsibility to train the generations of nurses receive far less wages than the nurses we produce? Additionally, how do we attract new professionals within this category?

With this said, we wish to state categorically and unapologetically that Nursing Tutors are the cornerstone of the healthcare system with regard to the nursing profession. We must reiterate that we have the requisite job requirement, expert knowledge, and skills to adequately prepare the nursing workforce. Hence, we are more than deserving of a just remuneration.

Sincerely,

Tutor Anonymous

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• Health Science Division, healthcare professionals, Ministry of Health (MOH), Nursing Tutors, Tutor Anonymous

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