Nurse Saunders looks forward for new responsibilities

NURSE NADDINE SAUNDERS will replace her colleague Iona Barker who demits office as
Senior Health Visitor in Demerara/Mahaica (Region Four) early next year.
Saunders, a Health Visitor, is currently being mentored to get firsthand practical knowledge on
the nuts and bolts of the position to help better serve the East Coast Demerara residents she will
overlook when she is fully responsible in February 2021.
“I am currently transitioning into the post of Senior Health Visitor. This period will allow me to
better understand what my new roles and responsibilities will entail better allowing me to
understand what I am expected to do. This will further boost the overall health care in the
Region,” she said in an interview with www.aroundtheregions.com
So far, her mentoring for the promotion transition “transition has been smooth, I take it in
strides. I must say that I have had the privileged of working with persons who have sought only
to encourage, motivate and support me along the way. I received optimum guidance along the
way, which has helped me to function very well. I will admit that I have no complaints in the
process,” an excited Saunders recounted.

The professional nurse completed her training more than a decade ago and has not wavered in
her dedication to the sector or the thousands of patients she has been serving since 2009.
“In the profession I have always noted areas that can be improved in patient-care approach and
other areas related to staff development in an effort to boost both the staff and the patients. I have
been working on them relentlessly regardless of which health centre or department that I have
been assigned. I have always tried my utmost to motivate and encourage staff,” Saunders
reflected.
Over the years she has been tutoring future generations of local health workers, helping them
keep abreast with the lightning speed of changes in the sector.
“This affords me an opportunity to do a lot of teaching along the way as we seek to improve our
standard of care. I go to the grass root as it allows me to let staff know what we are doing. It

means that I also have to continuously update my knowledge and use innovative skills to acquire
any things necessary to push the process along. I have confronted several challenges and some of
them include push back (from trainees) and the need to enhance interpersonal skills so as to get
the job done,” she said.
“As health care professionals we must remain cognizant of the standard and quality of care being
provided to the public. It also means that you have to continuously upgrade your knowledge.
Importantly, persons must understand in the health care sector that they need to use their
innovative skills in an effort to acquire any training necessary and this is what I have been doing
so that I can remain in touch with the latest development taking place in the health sector,”
Saunders stressed.
She graduated in her field from the University of Guyana (UG) last November.