Today the nurses working at the KHMH got their flowers with the presentation of annual awards. These nurses work around the clock to ensure patients are comfortable and cared for. It's not an easy job and as the country observes Nurses Week, the hospital started off with an award ceremony. Courtney Menzies was there and has this story.
The nurses of the KHMH were honored today, ahead of Nurses Week. For the hospital administration, it's critical to acknowledge the hardworking nurses. The CEO - herself a nurse - described them as the backbone, not just of the KHMH, but of the national health system. She explained that there are certain criteria for the awards, and it helps to incentivize the nurses.
Chandra Cansino, CEO, KHMH
"There are some qualifying criteria for the awards, for the recognition for nurse of the year and the different units. They include - I'm just reading it from the document here - that they have to be in the clinical setting for at least a year, that they have attendance to education meetings and department meetings, that they demonstrate professionalism, that they're licensed with the midwives and nursing council of Belize, that they have punctuality and things like that so once they meet the criteria, they qualify to receive their awards today."
Courtney Menzies:
"How important is it for KHMH to cultivate a sort of engaging, encouraging, motivating atmosphere for nurses in the wake of a nurse shortage overall through the country?"
Chandra Cansino, CEO, KHMH
"It's extremely important for us because it's not a competition among not only the world but within Belize itself. We have a lot of healthcare institutions opening that are now hiring nurses."
"So we want to ensure that we get the best of the best nurses that the institutions are producing now."
And with KHMH specifically, Cansino explained that they're slowly building up their team of nurses.
Chandra Cansino, CEO, KHMH
"There's a global crisis, however, we now have programs within the country, nursing programs that are really helping to build back up our staff. The Ministry of Health and Wellness offers scholarships and so that offers a lot of opportunities for nurses to study and so I think slowly but surely we're creeping back up to where we want to be, not there yet but getting there."
Courtney Menzies:
"Do you find that when they come here they're inclined to stay?"
Chandra Cansino, CEO, KHMH
"For the most part, yes. Karl Heusner is the place to come for experience. Here, you will get a little of everything and then you have nurses that will further specialize or retire, etc, but the best experience you can get as a nurse is to come to Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital."
And for one nurse, he says the job can be challenging and that's why it's beneficial for them to receive this type of acknowledgement.
Uriel Cowo, Registered Nurse, KHMH
"I think the awards are important because it gives you a sense of recognition that out there they're seeing us, that our administration appreciates us and just a little appreciation goes a long way because we come here to do a job that I believe is very difficult. Not everyone can do the type of work we do. It seems simple on the outside but when you actually are on the ward, the emergency, the ICU, wherever you're place, you find yourself not having to just give 100% but going beyond that because this work calls for more than just the bare minimum and if you're not doing the extra mile I don't think that you're performing to the way that we need to be. And so giving just a little recognition maybe an award is great and it helps our morale to help us to come tomorrow and every other day to put our best foot forward."
The KHMH is observing nurses week from May 6th to May 12th.....
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