Psychiatric ward nurses to get additional training

Nurses attached to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation’s (GPHC) Psychiatric Ward are expected to undergo continuous and additional training to further prepare them to deal with patients.
Guyana Times was told that the training process is expected to begin on Monday. One of the nurses told this publication that the psychiatric ward is considered by many of the staff as the “most challenging section to work”.
“To tell you the truth, it is a very hard place to work, most workers don’t like the idea of working there because you always have to be on the alert,” the staff said.
Another said: “You cannot lapse because these people you are dealing with are people suffering from mental illnesses. It requires a lot of patience and attentiveness.”
This publication was also told that staffers would sometimes feel pressured when dealing with mentally ill patients.
The training, which will be conducted by senior officials of the Psychiatric Unit, is expected to run for five days every four months.
Meanwhile, the Psychiatric Unit offers services both on an in-patient and out-patient basis. The Unit is specialised in treating patients according to their level of diagnosis. Up to this point, the Unit houses some 400 patients, while there are other persons who also visit the clinic daily.