Who is Bregje Boetekees?
I am a 42-year old married mother of two who enjoys her job at White Yellow Cross Care Foundation (WYCCF). As hard as I work, I keep a strict divide between work and private time as I want to be really there to see my kids grow up. Every day when I leave my workplace, I truly close off that part of the day and focus on my life at home.
How would you describe yourself?
In my work, I try to bring a lot of energy and a positive attitude to get things done. I don’t easily give up and love to work towards goals and results. I also believe strongly in being good and kind to other people. At work, they know how I want our clients to be treated, this is a big deal for me. At home, I am more quiet and private. With my own family and a handful of very good friends with a great sense of humour, I am happy.
You were born in Curaçao, how did you end up in beautiful St. Maarten?
I was born in Curaçao to Dutch parents and lived there in my early childhood. From the age of three to 21, I lived in Holland where I got my education. In 1992, my parents took my sisters and me to five of the six former Netherlands Antilles islands and as soon as we visited St. Maarten, I knew that I could live here. I loved the Caribbean flavour, the mix of nationalities and cultures, the friendly attitude and island life itself. In 1994, I moved here with my husband (then boyfriend) and we planned to stay for six months. That got a bit out of hand and I don’t think we will leave any time soon.
When and how did you discover your love for healthcare?
In my high school years, I would ride my bike to school past a big hospital. I could see through the windows inside the patient rooms and always wanted to know what was happening there. Initially, I wanted to become a doctor, but this required some extra hard work in high school that I was not so enthusiastic about.
Education?
After high school, I attended the HBO-V in Nijmegen, Netherlands. This is a four-year programme to become a registered nurse on a bachelor’s level. I liked the training, but had a bad experience job training in a nursing home. The care for the clients was so poor that I vowed to stick to hospital care or psychiatry. This experience was my drive in 2000 when I was asked to join the St. Martin’s Home team to become their quality care nurse. I knew from my job training in Holland what kind of care I would want for vulnerable elderly in a nursing home. Besides my nursing degree, I have done several management courses to support me in my role as operations manager of our foundation. Human resource, quality management, finance – these are all important topics for my daily job. Learning on the job has also been a major part of my education. Many roles I now fulfil I do based on daily experience and the support I receive from my board members and managers.
Work history?
In 1994, I started as a nurse at St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) working in the different admission wards. I did this for two years and then started Private Nursing, a small company that cares for clients in their own home. For four years, I did a lot of maternity care, flew clients to and from overseas hospitals and offered home nursing care to clients who chose to stay their final days at home. This palliative terminal care was something very special to do and I always considered it a privilege to be there to make someone comfortable during their last days.
How long have you been at WYCCF and current position?
I joined WYCCF in 2000 as their Quality Nurse. One year later, I became the Sint Martin’s Home Head Nurse, and the board asked me to become the Operations Manager of the entire foundation in 2008. For the last seven years, I have been enjoying this job very much as I have a lot of variety in tasks. The different departments with their own care products and the clients we care for make my work a positive challenge.
What do your tasks at WYCCF include?
With my three great department managers, we form the Management Team of our Foundation. I am the link between our board and the managers and have an advisory role towards our board. I assist the managers in their human resource activities and ensure they have all the right tools to achieve the goals they have formulated in their year plans. Together with our financial manager, I create the yearly budgets and have contract negotiations with insurance partners, like the Social and Health Care Insurance SZV. Union negotiations and securing funds for extra projects (like training, exercise equipment or a new vehicle) are also part of my job. The development of new care products is also an important task. In recent years, we have started four new care products and I am busy with several more for the coming years. Healthcare in St. Maarten still needs expansion to fully cater to the needs of our population.
What do you like about working in this sector?
I love working with people and I have grown to really like the contact with our clients, especially some of our St Martin’s Home residents who welcome me every morning with a happy spirit and their love. No bad mood can survive once they pass by my office for a chat and a smile.
Most rewarding moment?
When we have spent a lot of time and energy in getting a new care product up and running and the moment is there that we truly open it. It is a great feeling to see the clients benefitting from that much needed new care.
What are your concerns when it comes to the care industry for seniors?
St. Maarten is ageing faster than we had anticipated some years ago and we need to move at a quicker pace to be able to keep up with the increasing demand for services and care. The financial situation of county St. Maarten and the constraints in insurance funds may limit the speed and size of the real expansion needed. This may result in more elderly not getting the care they really need. We also spend too much money on overseas referrals due to the limitations in medical specialists that are available locally.
How can these concerns/challenges be addressed?
The development of a medical insurance system that is affordable and accessible for all is very important. This is of course a very difficult subject and we need to learn from other islands and countries that have gone through this same process. Also, investments need to be made locally to be able to increase the availability of medical specialists on our own island. Expansion of the hospital and WYCCF care products is essential to keep up with the healthcare needs of our population. This expansion should go hand in hand with a firm investment by government and the insurance funds into preventative care. If we do not address prevention right now, we will pay for the consequences for many years to come.
What is your advice to youngsters who want to follow in your footsteps?
It is paramount to finish your education beyond high school. Without a nursing diploma, you will no longer be able to find work as a nurse. Sign up at the National Institute for Professional Advancement or go off island and complete your studies before you return. With a nursing degree, on all levels, you will always have work here on the island.
What are you involved in outside of your job?
For the last nine years, I was part of the Parent Teachers Association of my sons’ school. I enjoyed being part of a group that actively helps to make the school years for our kids the most enjoyable time.
Future goals?
I still have a lot of plans that I would like to see become reality for WYCCF. The next few years, I will have more than enough to do. Beyond that who knows, maybe a combination of living in St. Maarten and travelling more often to Europe if my kids would end up studying there.
Hobbies?
In my free time, I love to read and spend lots of time with my kids. If I ever find the time, I would like to learn how to cook really tasteful vegan food. Cooking is not my strong point and I love the vegan meals I buy three times a week from an Indian lady.
Pet peeve?
Littering! I go crazy when I drive and see people throwing stuff out their window. I cannot understand how you can live on an island where you (most likely) make your livelihood in tourism and at the same time you throw your garbage out the window. It’s insane!
Biggest fear?
Being a mother, I think my biggest fear is that something would happen with my kids.
