Dec. 11, 2007 — St. Croix native Claude A. "Bennie" Benjamin's dream of providing Virgin Islanders with quality health care is being realized through the Schneider Regional Medical Center's Nurse Extern Program, hospital officials and Benjamin Foundation representatives said Tuesday.
The program, which is going into its third year, was funded through a $124,000 grant awarded to the hospital in 2005 through the Bennie and Martha Benjamin Foundation, established after Benjamin's death more than 15 years ago.
"The old will dream dreams, and young will see visions," said David Beale, the foundation's executive director, in 2005, when awarding the grant to start up the extern program. "Bennie Benjamin saw both, and wanted health care in the V.I. to be better for the people. That's why he donated the small fortune he had into making this foundation possible."
The Foundation has, since 1991, funded several other health-care initiatives throughout the territory, including scholarships for medical students, equipment for the territory's two hospitals and money to build up Schneider Regional's medical library. During a ceremony Tuesday at the St. Thomas hospital, Beale and his wife, Tina, handed over another $15,000 worth of scholarships, $28,000 to the Nurse Extern Program, $19,000 to the Licensed Practical Nursing program, $24,100 to the medical library and $50,000 for the new Cardiac Care Center at the Juan F. Luis Hospital on St. Croix.
The Beales then met with some of the extern program's current and past students, some of whom have already found a place within Schneider Regional's nursing staff.
The program has been conducted in conjunction with the University of the Virgin Islands, whose nursing students can apply to work — and get compensated — at the hospital during an eight-week period in the summer. Students speaking Tuesday called the program "excellent" and "one of the best experiences" of their lives. Many also said that working in the hospital has allowed them to figure out exactly what field they would pursue once they become registered nurses.
"Getting this program going was a brilliant idea," said Chantal Henley, one of the program's recent graduates. "It actually solidified my wanting to be a registered nurse."
Student nurse Rachael Dabreao added that the program allowed her to see that becoming a nurse is much more than handing out medicine and dealing with paperwork.
"Being a nurse entails using your knowledge to better a person's life," she said. "That's one of the biggest things I learned through the program — exactly what nurses have to do and how they function everyday."
Dabreao said the extern program also increased her confidence in the classroom and work settings, adding that she would be able to "push though a career a little easier because of this experience."
Ten of the program's graduates have gone on to work at the territory's two hospitals, said program Director Cynthia Rice, also a registered nurse working at Schneider Regional. This summer, she said, the program — which is open to UVI juniors and seniors — should see another 12 enrollees.
While the extern program should continue to churn out local success stories, the hospital is also working to improve its nursing initiatives through the creation of an Educational Institute, which was formed just about a week ago.
"What we're looking at is how to improve the development of health-care professionals and fix some of the deficiencies we see out there in the community," said the institute's administrator, Adeline L. Williams-Connor. "There are a number of options we're reviewing right now, and by next year you will be hearing more about us as we working on putting a plan together."
The Beales' annual visit to the territory also includes stops at UVI campuses in both districts, along with trips to Luis Hospital on St. Croix.
For more information on the foundation, or to enroll in the Nurse Extern Program, call Dr. Gloria Callwood, chairwoman of UVI's Division of Nursing Education, at 693-1291 or email her.
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