-as Nurses Week activities begin

-by Kyler Rollins

As Nurses Week begins, the matron of the New Amsterdam Hospital, Adonis McAndrew, is commending the government’s efforts to improve and streamline the training of nurses. With nurses now being trained through a hybrid learning approach, she says more registered nurses will be added to the system soon. 

Nursing staff at the New Amsterdam Hospital has increased from approximately 200 to 418, a development credited to the Ministry of Health’s hybrid approach to training patient care assistants, nursing assistants and registered nurses.

However, the matron acknowledged that there is still a shortage of registered nurses. She noted, nevertheless, that the profession has evolved significantly, with a new batch of nurses expected to complete their training soon and join the hospital’s workforce by August. 

“Nursing has elevated a lot. In my day, we were in the classroom setting where we can only accommodate 30 nurses, but now we’re in the online setting where we can accommodate thousands of nurses where they can increase the health profession in a positive way,” she said.

Meanwhile, a week-long series of activities has been planned to honour and recognise nurses for their service and dedication.

 Among the services scheduled are a mini-fair, seminars, a walkathon and fundraiser, as well as an awards ceremony.

“Our nurses have worked hard over the years, so we like to appreciate them in various ways, by handing out tokens to them, plaques to show our appreciation. We have nurses who have worked within our nursing profession for 35 years and are still here with us,” the matron noted.

The week of activities will run from May 6 to 12, 2026.Under the theme, ‘Our Nurses, Our Future, Empowered Nurses Saves Lives’.