Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 07, 2018 (SKNIS): Nursing is built on a discipline of professionalism, said Dr. Rondalyn Dennis-Bradshaw, Dean of the Division of Health Sciences at the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) during her December 05 appearance on Working for You.
Dr. Bradshaw said that persons come into the Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing (BScN) Programme because they are desirous of becoming nurses. Hence, it is important for the institution to work on the soft skills of the student nurses, such as communication, empathy for patients and listening, which are reflected in their body language, presentation and demeanour.
“It is difficult for them to conform to those rules and regulations, but we have to apply them because nursing is a profession and we are recognized because we are professionals, and so we work hard with them. At the end of the day, once we maintain discipline the students do come and say thank you,” Dr. Bradshaw stated. “We expect persons to be able to communicate and to interact respectfully with the community in which we serve,” she added, noting that persons are expected to have a clean police record.
“Persons have to have the required attributes, but sometimes you find that individuals come into the programme and they don’t have the required attributes that we are looking for. So what we can do is work along with them,” she said, while referencing the strict dress code that requires nurses to be well dressed – from their cap to their shoes.
