Increased staff for ICUs in PoS, San Fernando and Scarborough

Intensive Care Units at Port-of-Spain, San Fernando and Scarborough hospitals are expected to benefit from increased personnel with the graduation of 24 trained intensive care nurses last Thursday from a one-year course in Intensive Care Nursing Education. Health Minister John Rahael said there has been a steady increase in demand for Intensive Care Services at health care institutions as a result of disease, trauma and injuries and the management of post-operative surgical conditions. He said the Health Ministry is very concerned about the shortage of specially trained nurses and expected future training to take place in other critical care specialties such as burn management and cardiac care.

Delivering the feature address at the graduation ceremony hosted by the School of Advanced Nursing Education at Rooftop Restaurant, Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Rahael said the nurses “must be prepared with the specialised knowledge and skills required to deliver quality care” because it can mean the difference between life and death. He advised them to continue their education by reviewing and updating their competencies. Rahael also hoped that when they return to their respective hospitals they would utilise effective strategies to achieve change. He said they should be willing to share with their colleagues the knowledge they received and information on new skills and technologies.

The Intensive Care programme began on October 28 last year and covered 11 modules. The course included legal and ethical issues, quality management, safety, dealing with stress, culture and religion, care of the critically ill and paediatric patient. For eight months, participants did class and clinical work, while four months was spent training at ICUs. This experience included being posted at the blood bank, nephrology unit, Accident and Emergency and the operating theatre. Ten nurses were from San Fernando General Hospital, eight from Port-of-Spain General Hos-pital, five from EWMSC and one from Tobago. Chief Nursing Officer Erica Phillip said the first ICU programme began in the 1970s. She assured the Health Minister that it will be continued next year as mandated to maintain adequate staff to provide care for the critically ill in TT.