ONE hundred final-year nursing students at Northern Caribbean University (NCU) are set to receive laptops as AdventHealth and Andrews Memorial Hospital Limited deepen an initiative to strengthen future nurses’ professional preparation and, ultimately, the quality of patient care.

Eight students were symbolically presented with laptops during a handing-over ceremony at NCU’s Gymnatorium last Thursday, with the remaining devices to be distributed to members of the senior nursing class.

A release from the hospital said the presentation marks the fourth laptop handover to NCU nursing students under the initiative.

President and CEO of Andrews Memorial Hospital Limited Donmayne Gyles said the investment in students should extend beyond their university education and into the health-care system.

“This handing-over ceremony is more than just education. It’s more than just technology. It’s more than just giving computers; it is impacting professional development and, ultimately, in my sphere, impacting better patient care,” Gyles said.

He encouraged the future nurses to embrace technological advancement while safeguarding the compassion and human connection that remain central to the profession.

“Use them well. Pursue excellence. Remain compassionate. Embrace innovation but never allow technology to replace the human touch that lies at the heart of nursing,” he urged. “Healthcare will continue to change, but Jamaica will always need nurses — nurses that are competent, compassionate, ethical, spiritual, well-grounded, and committed to service.”

The release said the initiative forms part of a developing relationship involving AdventHealth, the chief donor, Andrews Memorial Hospital Limited and NCU, with senior AdventHealth executive Dr Audrey Gregory describing the partnership as one centred on people and long-term impact.

Gregory, senior executive vice-president and CEO of AdventHealth’s Multi-Division Delivery Network, said the occasion carried particular significance because of her Jamaican roots.

“I am proud of the fact that this island has shaped who I was becoming way before I wore an AdventHealth badge,” she said. “When I stand here today, it is as the daughter of this soil, and I am very excited about the fact that the organisation in which I now work is investing in the island that has shaped me.”

She said the relationship with the hospital and NCU had grown beyond exchanging equipment and resources.

“This partnership is more than about transactions; it’s really about relationships,” Gregory said. “Andrews Memorial Hospital and Northern Caribbean University feel to me like family. We also talk about partnerships in terms of equipment, and yes, we do need beds, technology, and medical resources, and those matter. They save lives. But I think the truest measure of a partnership isn’t what changes hands, but what changes in people.”

For Gregory, the laptops represent confidence in the students receiving them and a deliberate effort to remove obstacles that could impede their progress.

Final-year Northern Caribbean University (NCU) student Sonia Robinson (right) accepts her HP laptop from Dr Audrey Gregory (second right); Pastor Glen Samuels (centre), board chairman of NCU and president of Jamaica Union Conference; Pastor Balvin Braham (second left), newly appointed president of NCU; and Donmayne Gyles, president of Andrews Memorial Hospital. (Photo: Dyhann Buddoo-Fletcher)

“These computers are not just devices. They’re actually an act of belief. They’re saying that we see your potential, we trust where you’re headed, and we want to remove just a few of the obstacles that stand between you and the future you’re working towards,” she said.

“Every student who receives one of these computers this year is holding just a small piece of a much bigger promise. It is a promise that AdventHealth is not just here to give and go, but to really walk alongside your community for the long haul, all the way through to graduation and beyond,” she added.

For some recipients, those obstacles have been significant.

Final-year nursing student Anastacia Williams spent more than two years completing assignments, preparing PowerPoint presentations, working on Excel documents, and typing academic papers using an Android phone, after the hard drive in her previous laptop failed.

As her phone deteriorated, Williams resorted to holding its screen together with an elastic band while continuing her studies.

“Mommy really didn’t have it at the time, and I didn’t really want to pressure her because I’m not the only child,” Williams recalled. “I said to myself, ‘Mommy doesn’t have it, but I can find a way.’ And if I can do it on the phone, I can get it done. I downloaded the apps on my phone, and I just found a way to make it work.”

Williams said the experience reinforced lessons of perseverance that she also associates with nursing.

“That’s something I really love about nursing. It teaches you how to be resilient,” she said. “You have to just make something out of nothing, and I refuse to fail. So even if it’s the phone or pencil, I’m going to find a solution and work through it.”

NCU President Dr Balvin Braham urged the students to ensure the devices contribute directly to completing their academic journey and strengthening the university’s tradition of nursing education.

“These computers that are being presented to you…are intended to help you achieve the success for which you came to Northern Caribbean University,” Braham said. “I ask you, give this your best shot. Continue to allow Northern Caribbean University to be the best in training and preparing nurses for Jamaica, the region and the globe.”

Speaking on behalf of the senior nursing class, Andre Nesbeth said the laptops represented more than the technology now available to students.

“These devices don’t simply represent mere technological gadgets or tools, they represent a belief, a belief that has been fostered by this partnership between AdventHealth and Andrews Memorial Hospital, and even our own university, Northern Caribbean University,” he said.