– ‘One minute of you not doing something can cost someone their life’ – Nurse Benn
VILLYNCIA Benn’s career in nursing may be relatively new, but the 25-year-old knows just what she’s about and how to handle herself in a professional, efficient manner while still being able to have fun and learn on the job.
The Parika, East Bank Essequibo girl, is now stationed at Leonora Cottage Hospital, attached to the Emergency Department, having started out in the Paediatric Department of the West Demerara Regional Hospital.
Villyncia remembers her nursery school days at Hydronie before she moved on to Parika Salem Primary and Stewartville Secondary. The 10 subjects she scored at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) assessment included mostly those related to science, and with her desire to always be in pharmacy or nursing, she decided that four more years of studying at the Georgetown School of Nursing was the way to go.
“A lot of my relatives are in the field, and I also chose nursing because it helps you to make a difference in one’s life. Nursing helped me as an individual and it helps me to counsel persons and give them reassurance,” Villyncia told Pepperpot Magazine in an interview.
As a student, she recalls being a bit judgemental when she saw certain cases coming to the hospital. “For instance, a person who ingests poison, but being in that moment with that person, it helps you understand that everyone’s coping mechanism is different, and it just gives you a different perspective on life itself.”
A typical day for Villyncia starts with taking over the DDA (Dangerous Drugs Act) cupboard, which has all the opioid drugs in it. The only person who can take over that cupboard is a registered nurse that is licensed.
She explained further: “That’s the first thing I do each day. It probably sounds like not a big deal but it’s a lot of responsibilities. Then, I take over my unit, the Emergency Department. The registered nurse is in charge of the unit and basically has to assign and delegate tasks to the other nursing staff on how to basically manage the day. I give injections all day and coordinate treatment with the doctor. We don’t only deal with the medication aspect, but we deal with the emotional aspects in terms of counselling and trying to provide emotional support.”
As a contracted worker, it can be difficult for Villyncia to find time to further her studies, but she has a deep interest in paediatric and emergency nursing. This is due to her inspiring experiences of seeing persons who came close to death recover to normalcy.
Added to that, she genuinely enjoys her job. “I really enjoy learning new things; I ask the doctors questions all day…. I know sometimes they think I’m annoying. I really enjoy working at Leonora. My supervisor, Shenella King- Grandison is awesome and easy to talk to and I enjoy the interaction, laughing and chatting while at work with my colleagues. That makes me enjoy what I do as well.”
Villyncia believes that what makes a good nurse is not only the common characteristics that might come to mind. “You have to have the desire for the job. Some persons just do it for the money but you have to want to do the job. You have to be a critical thinker and be quick when it comes to being attentive to details, problem solving.”
She added: “You have to be patient because not everyone’s pain tolerance is the same. You have to have compassion. You also have to be time efficient because one minute of you not doing something can cause you to make someone lose their life.”
Villyncia said a good nurse will also be a patient advocate because the doctor may sometimes make a decision that may not sit well with the nurse.
One of her favourite quotes is: “Become the type of leader that people would follow voluntarily, even if you have no title or position.”
