15 join nursing profession |20 April 2015

A group of 15 newly qualified nurses have officially joined the nursing profession.

This was during a ceremony held on Friday afternoon at the Sheihk Khalifah conference centre which was attended by health minister Mitcy Larue who also presented the new nurses with their certificate of registration.

Also present to witness the event were key officials of the health ministry, health professionals including the registrar of the Seychelles Nurses and Midwives Council (SNMC) Winnifred Agricole, fellow nurses, the director of the National Institute of Health and Social Studies (NIHSS) Maryline Lucas and parents of the new nurses.

The group followed their training locally at the NIHSS.
Addressing the new nurses and everyone present SNMC chairperson Beryl Camille said the nurses workforce being the majority of health professionals at the point of care, has been and continues to be instrumental in the progress in health and wellbeing of our people and the development of the health system.
 
She thanked the new nurses for taking such an important decision to join the health workforce.

“Your registration with the SNMC is proof that you are professionally competent to practice as nurses. This is an important milestone in your professional career and it is the beginning of a lifelong journey of continued learning as you are forever mandated to maintain your professional competency and this remains your overall responsibility,” Ms Camille told the new group.

But Ms Camille reminded the young nurses that they are not alone in the endeavour because the SNMC, as well as the association of nurses and all their more experienced fellow nurses and other health professionals are there to help and support them.

Ms Camille also informed the new nurses that the SNMC’s mandate is to protect the public from unsafe practices by ensuring professional standards are maintained and upgraded.

“This is done through continued improvement in education and training, maintaining standard in nursing and midwifery practice, professional conduct,” she said, adding that the SNMC is also mandated to investigate incidences of misconduct and malpractice.

But she noted that it is the nurses’ and midwives’ duty to help the council through this mandate by ensuring that “our practices are safe, by recognising misconduct and malpractice and reacting to these appropriately”.

But Ms Camille warned the new nurses that challenges abound and improving the nursing working environment is one of them.
She called on all health professionals to join force to ensure a conducive environment to encourage the new nurses.

As words of advice to the new nurses Ms Camille said: “As you move through this continued learning process let your thoughts and actions be guided by your nursing values and principles and remember that as professionals we are never at a point of know-it-all.”

The 15 nurses then received their registration certificates, licences, badges, a copy of the nurses and midwives regulations and a copy of the nursing code of ethics and professional conduct.

Following that, one of the new nurses, Joan Krampah, lead her colleagues in pronouncing the nurses’ pledge while another new nurse, Tania Adrienne, delivered a vote of thanks on behalf of all of them.