NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (May 14, 2020) — Nurse Sylvianna Andre-Powell, a senior nurse at the Alexandra Hospital, says she was pleasantly surprised when she received word that she has been chosen as Nurse of the Year 2020 by the Nevis Nurses Association, following the announcement by Association President Nurse Simone Harris on May 12, 2020 during the observance of International Nurses Day.
“I am not looking for earthly reward but to be honoured by co-workers speaks volumes. My co-workers see more of what I do than my employer,” she said.
Nurse Harris explained the reasoning: “Nurse Andre is our Night Coordinator, our Night Sister for the past couple of years. About five, six years now. She is our Night Coordinator and has been doing a very, very excellent job. On the night duty she has been doing an excellent job — she worked up to 13 nights straight which no other nurse would want to do, and that is sacrificing her family time. She has two small children and a husband and she has set that aside temporarily to come to work.”
Nurse Andre-Powell has been in the nursing profession for 26 years. “When I think of my profession I think of a person or persons who desperately need my care. My profession is not just putting on a uniform and expecting a monthly salary,” she said. Junior Minister of Health Hazel Brandy-Williams also congratulated Nurse Andre-Powell, saying “26 years in any profession is no mean feat” and commending her for continuing her dedicated service when she moved from St. Kitts to Nevis.