Nurses reminisce and look to the future
There were lots of smiles today at the Belize School of Nursing as nurses looked at photographs from the archives and equipment once used at the hospital. The exhibit, which included the student uniform which remained unchanged for 80 years, is part of Nurse’s Week celebrations. Our guide for the walk from memory lane to the future of nursing in Belize was Isabel Bennett.
Isabel Bennett, Belize Nurses Association
“This uniform is being modeled by Nurse Gomez. She is featuring the old-time black shoe concept that was the idea from 1940’s. Adorning her striped purple and white uniform is a white apron which was a must. On her head is the cap that we still use at the present time. (pictured)
This is an outfit from the operating theatre. The nurses there wear a mask and cover cap. The nurse features a clog that is the specific shoe for the operating theatre unit.
Nurse Gomez is modeling some uniform pieces that we think might come back in the future. If you compare the uniforms of the past they were really high – 6 inches above the knee – and that is what she is modeling at this time. We hope that maybe some time in the future we can revolutionize the color of our nursing uniform, probably to a floral top and a solid bottom. So this is what we think might happen. The cap may still stay or maybe not.
This open day is in conjunction with the theme, “Celebrating nursing’s past: claiming the future”. We have dug deep into our archives and brought out these sentimental photographs that have shown changes that have occurred in our uniforms, in our caps – basically the shape, color and the style of our uniforms – we have exhibited here compared to what I am wearing and equipment that were used at the time. Now they are slightly different with more of the idea to dispose of them after use. Back then they had to be washed and sterilized and reused again.
The other comparison to the present time is to feature nurses that are still in the work force today and that are still contributing significantly to the society. It was fun and from the comments that we have gotten, not only from the nurses but from the public that has come in so far, they have realized that nursing has changed a whole lot and we still continue to change as we claim the future.”
Nurse’s Week is being celebrated by workshops and an awards banquet on International Nurses Day this Wednesday. On Thursday nurse anaesthetists will hold a workshop at the Belize Institute of Management and on Friday the nurses from the Punta Gorda Hospital will hold a dinner for underprivileged children.
