THE University Hospital of the West Indies’ (UHWI) newly sashed ‘Nurse of Excellence’, Shantel McLean Ford, will be spearheading a support programme to help teenage mothers reach their full potential.

McLean Ford, who was herself a teenage mother, has conceptualised the programme through which she will aim to reduce the effects of teenage pregnancy, positively influence teen mothers, and provide them with the support they need.

The nurse hopes to engage as many teen mothers as possible through her project.

The Caribbean and Latin American region currently accounts for the second-highest teen pregnancy rate worldwide, and according to data from the World Bank, in Jamaica, the rate of adolescent fertility has decreased since 2010.

However, the rate in 2021 was nearly the same as the average rate for women in countries in the same income group as Jamaica. For that year, 33 of every 1,000 girls ages 15-19 in Jamaica gave birth.

“I became pregnant at 15 years old, and a lot of times teenagers aren’t given the support that they need, and so my project is geared at providing support to teenage mothers, to let them know that you are given a second chance, that we are here to support them and that they can even become a nurse like me,” said McLean Ford.

She said her programme will aim to present teen moms with opportunities for growth, empowerment, mentorship and support. It is also being designed to help strengthen families and help the teen moms raise resilient and successful children.

“There will be discussions, wrap sessions, meetings, and in turn, I’m going to do an evaluation to see where you are at as a teen mom, look at the different stages and deduce what needs to be done, because as you know different persons require different things, and so with evaluation then we can know who requires what.

“They may require support related to their mental health; it can be emotional. You know you have persons who have become pregnant, and they might just need someone to help them write a resume, someone to give them a recommendation, those little things,” added McLean Ford.

The programme will be one of several responsibilities for McLean Ford as the 2024-2025 UHWI Nurse of Excellence.

The coveted award was presented, in collaboration with JN Bank, to her recently during a ceremony on the hospital grounds.

McLean Ford emerged on top of the competition, following an intensive selection process which included an interview before a panel of judges.

Judith Longmore Carridice, UHWI nursing director for medicine and nephrology and McLean Ford’s supervisor who nominated her for the award, explained that she made the recommendation, especially after observing her commitment to the job during the COVID-19 pandemic and after she returned to work from giving birth to twins.

Longmore Carridice recalled McLean Ford travelling from the hills of St Andrew to work on a motorcycle when transportation was slowed by the health crisis.

According to Longmore Carridice, McLean Ford’s leadership of Ward 8, after coming back from maternity leave, was also significant.

“This ward is supposed to be one of our model wards for best practices, and when she came back, I said to her, ‘I’m assigning you to this ward’. And right away she got the support of the nurses and she started making changes. You could feel and see the difference.

“When she won Nurse of Excellence, I said to her, ‘I’m happy for myself because I picked out another winner’. I feel very good that she won and I’m motivated knowing that she’s one of them that has stayed in nursing in Jamaica, and I was able to impact her and guide her,” added Longmore Carridice.

McLean Ford has been a nurse for six years, with five of those spent at the UHWI where she is currently in the medicine programme. Her career started at the Bustamante Hospital for Children.

Also a trained midwife, McLean Ford said her toughest time in the profession to date was during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the crisis showed the power of teamwork and support.

“What really got me into nursing is the love and passion that I have [for] caring for people. Initially my grandmother became ill and taking care of her made me realise the passion I have for nursing and so I decided that I must pursue this career and it has been really good,” she said.

“One of the high points for me was just a patient’s relative telling me thanks. The patient came, got care and when they were leaving, the daughter came to me and said, ‘I’m just grateful for how compassionate you were and the care that you gave to my father’, and she said that I will always be remembered and that made me feel very good,” she added.

Antonette Bent, the 2023/24 UHWI Nurse of Excellence and midwifery batch mate of McLean Ford, said she expects her successor to have an impactful reign.

“I know she will do an excellent job. As the sash says, Nurse of Excellence, she embodies that. She is very skilled clinically and exceptional with her patients. She has strong leadership skills and also serves as a manager here. Her drive is unparalleled. She pushes herself and ensures that anything she has to do, she does to 100 per cent of her abilities,” said Bent.