NO one can deny that Nurse Edith Allwood Anderson has been anything but a most passionate advocate for the welfare of nurses here.

She has taken on successive administrations from prime minister right down, in her tireless effort to secure better working conditions and wages for the members of her profession.

Who can forget those tapes which she flashed before the nation when Finance Minister Audley Shaw appeared to renege on his promise of better wages?

Then there was the memorable image of a militant Nurse Anderson, regal in starched cap, almost wrestling with a non-plussed Prime Minister Bruce Golding in front of Gordon House in her determination to secure swift feedback concerning the nurses’ welfare.

Yes, Nurse Edith Allwood Anderson, OD, is deserving of kudos for her run as president of the Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ).

And Nurse Antoinette Leana Patterson, the new NAJ president, certainly has, as she has said in her own words, some huge shoes to fill… in terms of the advocacy skills required to keep the nurses’ cause alive.

However, with absolutely no disrespect to Nurse Anderson, we can see several opportunities where Nurse Patterson could raise the bar as far as the collective integrity of her profession is concerned.

For let’s face it, even though it is indisputable that there are many members of the profession who go beyond the call of duty in executing their duties faithfully and with due compassion, against the background of a tough, ungrateful environment, it is equally true that too many of them are cold, crass and indifferent.

They hide behind the excuse that the profession is under-resourced and use that as a scapegoat for perpetuating a reign of slackness and unaccountability for the lives of the people who are too poor to escape their influence.

They snarl, ignore, humiliate and literally dare these poor patients to call them to book.

Oftentimes the cruel behaviour of these ill-mannered nurses results in accusations about fatalities that may have been prevented had a more professional approach been adopted.

It would be good if Nurse Patterson’s reign would focus more on fostering a culture of trust between the profession and those it serves.

The public needs to understand the international standards and best practices which are supposed to inform the profession so that they are in a position to understand what they are entitled to when they interface with the nurses.

The nurses too need to take seriously the example set by the great Mary Seacole, the epitome of courage and grace under the literal fire of combat at a time when the available resources were even scarcer than they are now.

This, we believe, will do much to promote the partnership of which Nurse Patterson spoke during the NAJ’s 40th Island Conference earlier last week, even as we look forward to great things from this professional grouping.

Over to you, Nurse Patterson.