NASSAU, The Bahamas - Reviving the Nursing Cadet Programme, the Ministry of Health and Wellness is focusing on attracting the best recruits to be added to the health system across the country.

An Opening Ceremony for the Recommencement of the Nursing Cadet Programme was held at the Gilbert A. Thompson Center at St. Barnabas Church Hall on Thursday, October 27, 2022.

The Programme attracted about 176 interested senior high school students from throughout The Bahamas, to the nursing profession. The programme returned after a two-year hiatus, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Cherita Moxey, Acting Chief Medial Officer, delivered remarks on behalf of the Minister of Health and Wellness the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville.

She quoted Mahatma Gandhi as saying;  “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others” – also acknowledging that this statement
although made many years ago speaks succinctly to the heart of the nursing profession, because without question nurses must often put aside their own feelings, indeed sometimes their own families, to provide care to others.

“This is why I am so pleased to see the revival of this recruitment strategy and even more pleased to see the response from our 10th to 12th grade students here on New Providence and throughout the Family Islands,” said Dr. Moxey.

She added, “Cadets, your interest in this program is a great marker for how we can build upon our recruitment pursuits and, by extension, our nursing complement.”

Regarding nursing as a noble profession and of paramount importance to a thriving healthcare system, Dr. Moxey said it is also a career which calls nurses to demonstrate compassion, service and leadership. “By simply having the title nurse you will have a plethora of people who will seek your guidance, follow your advice or benefit from your skillful touch.

“I am always amazed at how many nurses I meet who knew from an early age that nursing was their life’s calling and they have remained steadfast to the calling – establishing long-standing careers in the field,” she said.

Dr. Moxey then underscored the importance of the nursing profession in delivering health care to all they come in contact with.

“Cadets, the system needs you. You are the future of healthcare. It may sound cliché; however, it is true.   Too many of our citizens are ill and perishing from preventable diseases.  Poor health choices and unhealthy daily practices continue to burden our healthcare system,” she said.

She also shared that with a transformative health agenda in motion, that the Ministry of Health & Wellness has a mammoth task to undertake and it will need dedicated, competent and compassionate healthcare workers, in particular nurses – home-grown nurses, to be at the helm in helping to advance the delivery of healthcare in The Bahamas.

“I hope that you all strive to be leaders and apply the highest standards of practice even while you are in training,” Dr. Moxey told the cadets.

She also encouraged them to tap into the knowledge and expertise of the trainers, facilitators and mentors.

“Be open to learning the lessons that they will teach you in your courses and listen out for those nuggets of information that will help you along your journey. The exposure, experience and interactions offered through the cadet programme underscores its value and far-reaching benefits,” she added.

Furthermore, Dr. Moxey thanked the programme facilitators and the hardworking, devoted nurses across the archipelago who play a role in impacting the lives of the cadets.

“Hurricane Dorian and COVID-19 tried to derail this meaningful programme. However, through our collective resilience and commitment to progressing and advancing health in The Bahamas, those shocks could only manage a momentary pause in programming, not a termination,” she said.

Dr. Cherita Moxey, Acting Chief Medial Officer, delivered remarks on behalf of the Minister of Health and Wellness the Hon. Dr. Michael Darville, at the Opening Ceremony for the Recommencement of the Nursing Cadet Programme, held at the Gilbert A. Thompson Center at St. Barnabas Church Hall on Thursday, October 27, 2022.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness held  an Opening Ceremony for the Recommencement of the Nursing Cadet Programme, at the Gilbert A. Thompson Center at St. Barnabas Church Hall on Thursday, October 27, 2022.  About 176 senior high school students from throughout The Bahamas enrolled in the programme.

BIS Photos/Ulric Woodside