Genuine caring and strong determination
In her teens, Curlena Smith had already set her sights on a career in nursing.
Curlena was in the nursing programme at Delaware State University and had completed a summer internship at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital in 20000 when she had to defer her studies.
“It was a difficult decision but necessary at the time,” says Curlena. “My mother was a single parent of three, and my paternal grandmother was ill and required home care.”
Still passionate about nursing, she worked full time as a nurses aide in various community settings. In 2004, she returned to Bermuda Hospitals Board as a nurses aide on the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute’s (MWI’s) Reid Ward. This exposure ignited her interest in psychiatric nursing, and she decided she wanted to specialise in this area if she were ever given the opportunity to resume her nursing studies.
To read the full article in Your Future magazine (February 2024), click here.
From The Royal Gazette: Big-hearted staff at the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute were yesterday praised by a patient inspired by a call to keep sharing kindness in the wake of Mental Health Awareness Week.
From The Royal Gazette: Two would-be nurses became the first winners of scholarships set up to honour the memory of an intensive care nurse who died two years ago.