Twenty-three new nurses receive pins and caps

Registrar at the Dominica State College (DSC) Denise Edwards has told 23 nursing graduates that she is satisfied that the institution has equipped them with the necessary knowledge and other necessities for the profession.

Edwards made the remarks at DSC’s Faculty of Health Sciences’ 6th Pinning and Capping Ceremony on Wednesday afternoon.

“As a college we are satisfied that we have equipped you with the necessary knowledge, attitudes and skills which will allow you to perform as an effective member of any health team in which you will eventually be employed,” she said. “We have endorsed your performance just four weeks ago when you were awarded your degree at the commencement ceremony.”

She said the nurses are part of the 223 nursing graduates who have passed through the doors of the college since its inception in 2002.

“This number indicates the contribution that our nobel institution plays in providing trained human resources for the vital health care system,” she stated. “I ask that you do not merely be contented to remain a mere statistic. You are expected to make a qualitative difference in the lives of those you come in contact with at any point in the health continuum irrespective of the setting. You are aware as I am of the challenges that health systems face, not only in Dominica but worldwide.”

Edwards pointed out that they need to “apply the lessons you learnt in being successful in your personal and professional lives.”

Meantime, Acting Chief Education Officer Melena Fontaine who represented the Education Minister, encouraged the students to not take their professional responsibility lightly.

“Your actions can be the difference between life and death and therefore I urge you to take this responsibility very seriously,” Fontaine stated. “It is one of those fields that is not only a job, but a vocation. I hope you are here because you did have that impulse, that inclination to give that type of service. A service that calls for compassion, patience, caring, and for you to be active good listeners.”

She said Dominica has had a very good reputation in the region in health care and nursing services, “and it can only remain so if every cohort of nurses uphold the profession and keep the promises that you made in the pledge that you have just recited by candlelight.”

She officially handed over the new nurses to the Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Johnson on behalf of the Ministry of Health.

The list of the new nurses is below.