A Nurse's Dream Comes True

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ANNTONETTE SMITH always dreamt of being a nurse, a passion she had since her high-school days. The realisation of her dream came full circle yesterday when she, along with 75 other students, graduated as a practical nurse from the PreUniversity School at the University of the West Indies, Mona.

For Smith, who is the valedictorian of her batch, this moment has come after long years of waiting. "I worked as an administrative assistant for some years and had to take a break when my children were born," she related.

A new perspective

Smith heard about the practical-nursing programme on radio and decided to apply in 2008, and looking back two years down the line, Smith said that it was one of the best decisions she ever took.

Smith said that her experience in the programme helped to give her a new perspective towards the profession: "The programme was very intensive and we learnt a lot."

She added that the experience and training were able to break some stigmas attached to practical nursing. "Traditionally, the job is restricted to bathing, feeding, and combing the hair of the patients, but with the training, we are equipped and can administer injections," Smith exuded.

The PreUniversity School's practical-nursing programme is spread over 18 months and covers a total of 1,765 combined hours of theory and practical sessions. Courses include:


  • Health assessment
  • Medical surgical nursing
  • Maternity nursing
  • Paediatric nursing
  • Community nursing
  • Mental-health nursing
  • Pathophysiology for health-care professions
  • Basic pharmacotherapeutics.

"We thought that this would be easy," Smith recounted. "But when we started doing the programme, we realised the indepth and practical knowledge it offered us."

According to Smith, who wants to start a community-outreach group and work with children, apart from the technical training, the programme also helped in her overall development. "We learnt group dynamics and to work as a team," she said.

Working as a group, she added, helped participants to overcome the challenges, and more important, to search for and find solutions.

The PreUniversity School, which offered a brokered programme through the NorQuest College in Alberta, Canada, has paved the way for the graduates to be employed in Canada. Alberta, where most of the 76 practical nurses will be placed, is one of several provinces that have a great need for their services. According to figures, despite the annual training of 1,200 practical nurses by two of the largest public-training institutions in Alberta, the province is still short by 400 each year.

The practical nurses have been awarded temporary licences to work in Canada with the condition that they must complete 500 hours of on-the-job orientation, as well as pass national exams held three times per year. They are allowed to work up to one year on the temporary licence, and then they must write their final exam to get their permanent licence before the year is up.

Doing well

"The group is doing pretty well, and we are all looking forward to going and working there," said Smith.

As the valedictorian of the batch, Smith is thankful to the school for delivering a concise, practical, and far-reaching programme, which will enable them to exhibit their practical knowledge and also make a mark for themselves internationally.

"To be a Jamaican is to be associated with pride. It is this pride that we will carry when we go out there and work," Smith stated confidently. "We have made it this far and weathered all the storms. There is no way we should slow down."

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