Cuban nurses adjusting to local hospitals

CUBAN nurses continued their orientation sessions at the Port-of-Spain and St Ann’s hospitals yesterday and feedback from local nurses is that the Cubans are “excellent.”

An official at St Ann’s said nurses there reported that the Cubans “know their nursing stuff.” Last week, the nurses began getting familiar with their work places with visits to health centres,  PoSGH and St Ann’s. The official said this orientation is a stipulation of the Nursing Council for foreign nurses to get registered to work in TT. He said the Cuban nurses were on the wards at St Ann’s “like any other nurse” although none of them will be sent to work there. Yesterday, nurses were also on wards at PoSGH and five nurses were at the Accident and Emergency Department observing the functioning of the unit. A senior nurse said they have been coming in batches and spending two days. “They are seeing how we do things, which is a little different to what they are accustomed to,” she said. The nurses are also comfortable speaking English. The nurse said while she “no habla Espanol,” their English is “pretty good.”  The Cuban nurses are expected to be officially on the job from next week.