Dr. Felix Holiday (back row, left), Antonio Pantophlet (sixth from left), Charline Arrindell (seventh from left) and Bregje Boetekees (back row, far right) with the 21 LNA graduates.
ST. JOHNS ESTATE--The White and Yellow Cross Care Foundation (WYCCF) and St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) celebrated the graduation of 21 newly certified Licensed Nursing Assistants (LNAs) at the St. Martin’s Home on August 31.
With a 100% pass rate the celebration was the festive conclusion of a successful seven-month training executed by the Education Department of the SMMC.
Antonio Pantophlet, who heads this department and is a passionate nursing educator, was the first speaker addressing the graduates. With focus on life-long learning and continuous growth as a nursing professional, he encouraged the nursing assistants to keep pushing themselves to further heights.
He highlighted that some of the graduates were not working as nurses before the training, with several participants of WYCCF working in facility services such as the kitchen and housekeeping. These WYCCF employees showed a keen interest in nursing, especially during the challenging months of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. They stepped forward and asked to be trained and embraced the Licensed Nursing Assistant course when it was offered.
Other speakers during the ceremony were the director of SMMC, Dr. Felix Holiday, human resource managers of both healthcare institutions, John Connor of the Inspectorate of Health and the managers and supervisors of the graduates.
After the presentation of the certificates, the valedictorian of the class of 2022 was honoured. Gayan Anderson started at WYCCF in the domestic department as a cleaner in the St. Martin’s Home.
When the LNA course was announced, she wrote her motivation letter and was selected to join the course. She excelled in both theory and practice and passed her oral exam last Monday with a 9.7. With an 8.8 grade point average on her written tests, she proudly became valedictorian, thanking all those around her who supported her in her journey to success – a journey that fit the theme of the graduation ceremony, which was “rising stars”.
The official ceremony concluded with a motivational speech of Sandra Hassell, who is a Licensed Nursing Assistant in the WYCCF District Nursing department. Herself a rising star, as she also started in the domestic department before she became a nurse, she motivated the graduates to deliver care with love and integrity.
