Nurses’ roles put on display at International Nurses Day showcase

Scores of persons joined nurses across the country to celebrate International Nurses Day at a Nursing and Midwifery showcase which was deemed to be a success.

On Friday, March 12, nurses from numerous sectors across St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) converged at the site of the old Treasury building to mark International Nurses Day which was celebrated under the theme “Our Nurses, Our Future”.

The event, which culminated a week of activities, was hosted by the Nurses Association of SVG, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, and a number of other entities was done to celebrate and appreciate the important roles that nurses play in the health of individuals within the society.

Tents and tables were set up on site with a wide range of medical apparatus, countless pamphlets on information ranging from how to wash your hands, to pre-hospital care survival tips which displayed the numerous services that are being offered to the public across SVG.

Chief Nursing Officer, Sister Peggy Da Silva speaking with the Agency of Public Information (API) said it is hoped that the activities will bring awareness and appreciation on the importance of the nursing profession, and inspire people to become a part of the nursing fraternity.

Institutions such as the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College (SVGCC) were present and displayed their various programmes which include the Registered Nurses Programme, a three year certificate programme of General Nursing Education.

Also, the Bachelor’s or Science Degree in Nursing which is a four year programme of General Nursing Education franchised with The University of the West Indies School of Nursing (UWISON), Mona (Jamaica); Midwifery Nursing which is a 15 month Post Basic programme of Midwifery Nursing which will earn students a Certificate in Midwifery upon successful completion. This will make them eligible to write the General Nursing Council’s examination for license to practice as a Midwife.

Persons visiting the booths also learned of the postgraduate Master of Science Degree which is a two year part-time programme done in association with The University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus (Barbados); and an 18 month training programme to function as a Nursing Assistant. Completion of this programme and the Council’s Examination leads to the award of a certificate to practice as an enrolled Nursing Assistant with the Nursing Council.

Apart from providing opportunities to venture into this area of the medical field, each tent housed number of medical departments which commemorated their own specific celebrations such as World Premature Day which provided tips for mothers with premature babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU); and for providing babies with Kangaroo Care which is “A technique where the premature baby is placed in an up-right position on its mother’s bare chest allowing tummy to tummy contact that positions the baby between the mother’s breasts. The baby’s head is turned so that its ear is positioned above the mother’s heart.”

Pamphlets were also disseminated on behalf of The Ministry of Health, on such topics as healthy ageing and exercising tips for Geriatrics.

Pamphlets from the Ministry were also shared on distinguishing between facts and myths relating to vaccination administered to babies, breastfeeding mother’s, the sick, and pregnant women.

Children were also given the opportunity to do some hands-on activities on the use of various nursing apparatus.

Among these were the Peak Flow Meter, “a small, hand-held device used to monitor a person’s ability to breathe out air. It measures the airflow through the bronchi and thus the degree of obstruction in the airways,” and the Aerochamber which “Consists of a plastic tube with a mouthpiece, a valve to control mist delivery and a soft sealed end to hold the Metered Dose Inhaler (MDI).”

The National Food Based Dietary Guidelines Task Force with the technical support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations also prepared pamphlets on the nine National Food-Based Dietary Guidelines for St. Vincent and the Grenadines to help promote a balanced diet, healthy eating habits and active lifestyles to prevent chronic nutrition related diseases.

Visitors also learnt of illnesses which children can develop such as rheumatic fever; while mothers learned about how to diaper a baby.

Information warning signs on mental illness; nutrition labels for people with diabetes, hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia, gestational diabetes, learning how to keep blood glucose levels normal, and healthy eating were also disseminated.