Schools affected by BVI nursing shortage
As the BVI continues to grapple with the shortage of healthcare workers, students at two high schools are now being impacted as they have been without an on-campus nurse for some time now.
The schools which are affected are the Elmore Stoutt High School (ESHS) and the Bregado Flax Education Centre (Secondary Division). During the House of Assembly sitting on March 5, At-Large representative Stacy “Budda” Mather asked Education Minister Sharie de Castro about efforts to get nurses at both institutions.
In response, the Education Minister said ESHS has been without a school nurse since the 2017 disasters as the Health Ministry continues to struggle with the ongoing nursing shortage in the territory.
“In the past the Ministry of Health worked collaboratively with the Ministry of Education by assigning a nurse to ESHS. However, since 2017, the Ministry of Health has faced its own staffing challenges. Despite ongoing efforts and appeals for assistance, the Ministry of Health, unfortunately, finds itself unable to provide the necessary support of assigning school nurses,” the Minister said before adding that the nursing shortage is preventing her Ministry from introducing a nurse at Brigado Flax.
De Castro also said filling the vacant posts at both schools is a priority for her Ministry, adding that she is willing to take proactive action to address the matter.
The lower salary packages offered to nurses and other healthcare workers have been blamed for the government’s failure to attract the quality and quantity of healthcare professionals that are needed to cover the territory.
Recently, Health Minister Vincent Wheatley said healthcare professionals, especially nurses, are leaving the BVI for better opportunities abroad.
Wheatley also said better working conditions in countries like the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Canada, the UK, and the United States, are what he suggested attract the BVI’s healthcare workers.
For instance, the Minister said a starting nurse in the BVI might earn between $40,000 to $50,000, whereas in other jurisdictions, the starting salary can be as high as $90,000 to $100,000.
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That starting salary if 90k-100k is a lie! I’m a nurse in the US unless you are a traveler or working in California ain’t no nurse making that amount a year! New grads start out with atleast $30/hr I started out at $24/hr as a new nurse. So please…. Stop exaggerating… so it is right around 50k depending on your specialty and years experience you make more.
Yes you may have been working in Florida for a starting $24/hr. However nurses should know their worth, google and check for yourself new grad in New York City with NO experience starting salary is over 100k, and it’s a union position. In case you forgot nurses are in demand.
No honey, not Florida. Don’t get it twisted. New York is a high paying state yes. But you do your research as well!
All of ya’ll just LESS!!!!!!! There are nurses all over the world that would be willing to relocate and work in the BVI. You guys couldn’t plan a beer festival at the brewery, f**king shameful.
Its a shortage everywhere and the US mainland has been issuing visas to Nurse and their families to move and work at great pay. Good luck BVI
Nursing at that school is a high risk Job, taking care of Lion and Tigers and they are not been properly paid..It needs a strong, well paid Male Lion Nurse to work there.
Sooo true…
Tola’s demographic nessisitates combat pay for those working in the Schools…Disgraceful but predictable and deliberately crafted by greedy no good elected BVIslanders. We are our enemies.
And if they are unable to get an appropriate ” male lion” for the task,would the vicious cubs meet there demise sooner prior to developing into full lion and tiger for the hood?….hmmmm
Well experience does not matter any more this is just a weird place ..Government is paying all their employees the same with the new salary regardless of experience. A teacher with 2 years experience now making the same money of one that was there for 20 years!! These people just don’t sit down and think over nothing, just pure nonsense and BS!!!