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Making a difference in social care

Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) is one of the largest employers on the island and offers a myriad of health services. If you have an interest in healthcare, joining the organisation offers you flexibility to expand your knowledge and even change your career down the road.

Almost as soon as Tenik Burgess discovered social work was her passion, she came to BHB.

“I first became interested in social work when I was working at the Department of Corrections,” she says. “I was in my early 20s and was working in the Programmes Department there as a case management assistant and a programmes clerk.”

Becoming acquainted with the inmate cases, Tenik says she quickly realised that being a social worker was her calling.

To read the full article on page 27 of Your Future magazine,  click here.

21 March 2023 Media

Start of stroke recovery in Bermuda

Tuesday 25 October 2022: Surviving a stroke is an achievement in itself, but how well a survivor recovers can vary enormously. What are the rehabilitation options for stroke survivors in Bermuda and how can they go about getting the best medical care and support available?

by Dr Elwood I L Fox, DO

According to the Centres for Disease Control, in 2020, stroke was the fifth leading cause of death in the US. Worldwide, World Health Organisation data from 2019 showed stroke as the second leading cause of death behind ischemic heart disease.

Based on my involvement as consultant physiatrist at BHB for over ten years, there is anecdotal evidence of five to 10 stroke patients per week treated through BHB. Not all are being admitted for acute care. Some receive outpatient services through the Rehab Day Hospital.

Furthermore, it is estimated that there are 250 to 300 strokes per year on island with about five percent never receiving medical or rehabilitation treatment during the acute phase. Data collection is required for recording of stroke deaths annually, and would probably reveal greater than 1,000 stroke survivors on island at present.

Some of the main impairments caused by stroke involve cognition, speech and communication, ability to swallow, movement, activities of daily living (ADLs), bowel and bladder dysfunction, and mood and behaviour.

To read the full RG Magazines article, click here.

4 November 2022 Media

Treating the Whole Person

Tuesday 25 October 2022:

by DR SHAWNEE BASDEN, BHB CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST

Lately, it seems the sound of sirens has become a common occurrence on our small island. Each time I hear them, especially at times when traffic is heavier or late at night, the first thing I do is reach for my phone to check online sources expecting to hear about a traffic accident.

Most of us are experiencing more anxiety lately, wondering if those we love are safe on our roads.

Click here to read the full RG Magazines article.

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4 November 2022 Media

What is a biomedical technologist

February 2022: When students think about a career in healthcare, nursing and medicine may first come to mind, but there is a plethora of other fields that are vital to hospitals all over the world. Bio-Medical/Clinical Engineering is one such area. It is not on the radar of many students but is well worth considering if you are interested in electronics, computing, mechanics, engineering and/or biology.

Delbert Doars is the newest member of the biomedical team at Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB). He is a biomed technologist who became interested following a job shadowing opportunity in the department when he was working in the Purchasing and Materials Management department of the organisation.

To read the full article in Your Future magazine click here and go to page 29.

15 February 2022 Media

Cooking to heal

February 2022: If you love cooking perhaps you are considering pursuing a career as a chef, but have you ever contemplated how your work could help heal people? Food is one of the most important ways we nourish our bodies so that they perform optimally for us – it’s quite literally the fuel for life.

Tamiyah Durrant is one the youngest additions to the Food Services team at Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) and she says she finds her work fulfilling.

“I have grown up in a family where we love cooking,” she says.  “I’ve binge-watched Food Network for most of my life. At Berkeley I received my formal introduction to culinary arts in my Family Studies class. It was here that I realised a profession is this field is the route I wanted to take so I applied for the Culinary Arts programme at Bermuda College, and was accepted.”

To read the full article in Your Future magazine February 2022 click here and go to page 28.

15 February 2022 Media
Kamala Burns article

A Career in Healthcare Science

February 2021: Due to Covid-19, students are considering a choice of a career in healthcare from a new perspective

Over the past year we have seen the importance of scientists and laboratory technologists as we continue to learn more about COVID-19;how to detect it and most importantly, the creation of a vaccine to fight the spread.

A career in the lab can range from a laboratory technician to a medical technologist that can specialise in bio-chemistry, histology or microbiology.

STEM education is where it starts – a curriculum based on educating students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It creates critical thinkers, increases science literacy and enables the next generation of innovators…

To read the full article in Your Future Magazine February 2021 click here and go to page 26.

11 February 2021 Media

Kindness week inspires MWI patient

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.

The woman, who asked not to be named, said nurses at MWI made Mother’s Day gifts for her to boost her spirits while she was treated in the hospital after a breakdown.

The woman added: “I suffer from depression and bipolar and I think it’s the pandemic that set it off.”

She was speaking after Kim Wilson, the health minister, asked the public to carry forward the kindness theme from Mental Health Awareness Week after the commemoration finished earlier this month.

The woman, who said she had never had inpatient treatment at a mental health institution before, checked into MWI in May after fears for the survival of her business and the stress of Covid-19 worsened condition and propelled her into “a total breakdown”.

She said she became suicidal and had avoided taking medication after she tried to keep her mind occupied with online learning when her business was forced to close and she, along with her family, had to stay at home over the months-long lockdown period.

The woman added: “I just broke down. I called my doctor, and I was told to drive to MWI. They were expecting me when I got there.

“The reason I’m doing this is because they don’t get enough credit for what they do. Every single staff member was amazing. They were my angels. You do not feel isolated. You feel safe.”  …

Published 19 October 2020
19 October 2020 Media

Essential Dads

From Bermuda Parent Magazine: Dealing with Covid-19 has been challenging for parents throughout the island. Home schooling, endless Zoom classroom sessions, quarantining, curfews, and keeping their energetic children indoors. Can someone please pass a glass of bubbly when this is all over!

While some parents have been able to stay home with their children during this pandemic, others have had to venture out daily because they are essential workers on the island. Bermuda Parent Magazine honours three fathers who have been committed not only to parenthood, but their jobs.

Antonio Russell: Thirty-seven-year-old Antonio Russell has been an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for 12 years. He is the father of four beautiful daughters, Mhila, 11, Yara, 19 months, and one-year-old twins Akaio and Akiko.

Read the full article at mybermudaparent.com – Summer 2020 page 24

Published Summer 2020
19 August 2020 Media

A Technical Career in Healthcare

From Your Future 2020 magazine:

Bermudian students with an interest in the trades have an opportunity to grow with the Bermuda Hospitals Board in the Facilities Department

A career in the healthcare industry is not limited to the doctors and nurses that you see on the front line working to ensure you have quality care.  Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) has a dedicated team that work tirelessly in the background to ensure the highest standards of healthcare are afforded to our community.

If you have an interest in the trades and in technology, BHB’s facilities team could be a great career choice for you.  Although the hard working individuals in this department are behind the scenes, their work has a significant impact on patient care.  Careers in the facilities department range from masons and plumbers to facilities managers and engineers.

The facilities team is responsible for maintaining King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute and the Lamb Foggo Urgent Care Centre.

Special Equipment Technician, Damien Ingemann, is a great example of career possibilities at BHB. Damien began his career in March 2010 in the Environmental Services Department and then transferred to the Facilities Department later that year. …

Read the full article on page 24 of Your Future magazine 2020 http://bermudamedia.bm/yourfuture

Published online February 2020

To publish in print March 2020

18 February 2020 Media

Scholarship created to honour nurse

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.

The Vickie Smith Nursing Scholarships were awarded to Donnalyn Smith and Milon Outerbridge.

Ms Smith, who is due to start a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of West England in Bristol, said: “This scholarship helps me a whole lot.

“My parents are very hardworking; I see how hard they have to work for me.

“I would do anything to help. I want to give back whatever I can, to ease the load.”

Ms Smith said she became interested in a career as a nurse when she volunteered to work at the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital to notch up community service hours while she was at middle school.

She added: “A friend had volunteered at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital as a teen volunteer and she persuaded me to go.

“I volunteered in the continuing care unit and from the first day, I loved it.

“We sat with elderly patients, those who could not speak, those with disabilities … We read to them, we watched movies together, we walked with them. I was so happy, making other people happy.

“I liked the personal connection that nurses have with their patients and I wanted to make it a career.

“I am interested in going into geriatrics, paediatrics or surgical, but that could change once I get more experience.” …

Published 5 September 2019
26 September 2019 Media