Partnering with UWI and UHWI to stem attrition and migration 

  Durrant Pate/ Contributor

Help is coming from the University of South Florida (USF) Health to help stem the chronic shortage of nurses and other health professionals in Jamaica, due particularly to attrition and migration.

Jamaica is facing a healthcare crisis as nearly half of its healthcare workforce is leaving the island for opportunities abroad. In the coming months, USF Health’s College of Nursing faculty will assist in creating and implementing the necessary models to establish and adapt the nursing oncology framework to support the training and retention efforts in Kingston.

Acutely aware of the realities of the nursing shortage, a team from USF Health leaders from the College of Nursing and Morsani College of Medicine recently travelled to the University Hospital of the West Indies (UWI) and the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) in Kingston to forge an alliance to help cauterize the chronic shortage.

Combatting attrition and migration of healthcare workers

The mission was to identify opportunities to help them combat the attrition and migration of healthcare workers, specifically oncology nurses and physicians. Both the UWI and the UHWI are the region’s largest producer of healthcare professionals, which is working to train and retain new nurses quickly enough to replace those who leave. 

Senior Associate and Vice President of USF Health and Dean of the College of Nursing, Dr. Usha Menon explained, “our collaboration with UWI aligns with our commitment to global engagement, enabling us to broaden the impact of our oncology graduate specialization and cultivate reciprocal partnerships that advance the development of the global nursing workforce.” 

This collaboration, solidified through a memorandum of understanding, aims to optimize the efficiency of clinical operations, offer training for oncology nurses and faculty development. USF Health will also help establish a Cancer Center of Excellence and partner on future research. The aim is to improve patient outcomes, care and delivery.

Executive Vice President of USF Health and Dean of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, Dr. Charles J. Lockwood commented, “even as we work to expand the USF Health College of Nursing to address Florida’s nursing shortage, we are well aware that the lack of qualified nurses is not just a state and national concern, but an international problem. We are pleased to be able to work with the University of the West Indies and the University Hospital of the West Indies to help increase the number of nurses, and thus improve patient care, in Jamaica, as well as to conduct more nursing research. Our mission to keep Making Life Better is global.”

Founded in 1948, UHWI is an internationally recognized academic institution and Jamaica’s largest hospital. With 579 beds and a specialization in advanced and critical care, UHWI is at the core of Jamaica’s struggle with a dwindling healthcare workforce.

For his part, UWI Principal, Densil A. Williams remarked, “we are thrilled that the University of South Florida has found it fitting to join us on this journey, especially in this unique area of cancer research. I am sure the outcome will be something great.”