Nurses to receive anesthesia training
This afternoon several nurses and other health care professionals sat down for a luncheon at the Karl Heusner Memorial hospital conference room. The gathering was not only to socialize but the to officially welcome Lois Krug, a representative of Health Volunteers Overseas and Nurse Anesthetists Overseas. The organizations were invited by the Government of Belize to help launch a one-year training programme for Nurse Anesthetists. Presently there are only four local trained anesthetists in the country. According to Marjorie Parks, the Deputy Director of Health Services and Chief Nursing Officer, the last time Belize had such training was in 1973. Since then they have had to rely on outside help to administer anesthesia. Parks says because they are in the process of health reform, there will be a need to have far more nurses trained to deliver the vital service. Today Krug was not only helping to formulate the programme that will get underway in January but she will also be interviewing candidates.
Lois Krug, Representative, HVO/NAO
“How to get the services, how to get the people trained, when to offer the education and get the students enrolled in the programme and get them going. It’s a twenty-four month training programme. It’s very extensive, heavily into mathematics, chemistry, physiology and anatomy, so we are selecting candidates of the highest quality to do this twenty-four month programme.”
Marjorie Joseph Parks, Chief Nursing Officer
“Jackie, it is very essential because the nurses anesthetist services are highly needed. We have health reform going on, we have the regional hospital’s opening?offering surgery. We will be offering surgery in Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Belmopan and of course Karl Heusner and many times we have to rely on foreign help to give anesthesia.”
“We plan to do two programmes one starting in 2000 and one starting in 2001. We actually need eighteen nurse anesthetists, but we will have two classes of nine each because it is a very intensive service. The caseload will not be sufficient to carry on eighteen at once. We will do nine in one year and nine in the following year.”
The nurses will be trained by HVO/NAO at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. However the trainers will be assisted by local nurse anesthetists, doctors and surgeons.
