they are generally paid what they're worth. Go look in the hospital and watch the nurses, 90% obese, standing around, gossiping , or sitting on they're asses.

How much sense does it make for The Bahamas Government to spend millions training nurses only to lose them to the United States or other competing countries? At least three things need to happen: 1. Improve the salaries and benefits for nurses 2. Hold government trained nurses to a five year bond where they must work in the public system for that time. 3. Create the position on ‘nurse’s aid where persons who are less qualified and less trained can assist with duties that are non medical. These persons can have opportunities to get further training and eventually qualified to become nurses.

Its just amazing the ability of the Bahamian government to take a simple matter and obfuscate it with loads of drama and nonsense. A registered nurse in the Bahamas makes between $12,000 and $24,000 per annum and a nurse in the US makes between $67,930 and $122,990. As Baby Boomers in America are moving into old age and the demand for nurses far outstrips the supply. Therefore a registered nurse in the Bahamas can quadruple their salary by being recruited and working in the US.

What would you do? Stay and work at PMH or move?

Salary sourses:
https://www.bahamas.gov.bs/wps/portal/p…
https://nursesalaryguide.net/registered…

Agreed!!

51st state. Are you Mad, Hatter?

Might as well be a state. Then we'd all be able to move as we like.

A registered nurse in the US works harder than ones in the Bahamas. My aunt indicated that a registered nurse once given a patient is responsible for everything surrounding that patient. She has to bath and clean him as compared to the Bahamas such duties are passed on to clinical nurses. Yes, you are paid more but don't forget the taxes that uncle Sam demands.

Read some of the other comments and you would see that the US taxes doesn't make that much of a difference. Also, with the cost of living which includes gas prices, and now VAT. I would say they would make a lot more in the US.

And even after the taxes depending on where you decide to go, you still take home more than you would here.

Uncle Sam doesn't get that much. Also our taxes is why this nation has excellent roads, infrastructure, social systems, totally free schools, free health care at the health department. All medical for our elderly. Goes on forever and ever. Registered Nurses give medications and follows the doctors instructions. CNA's (certified nurses assistant) do everything else. Even our nurses assistant's have about a year of medical training). No one without training work with patients in our hospitals. The Registered Nurse is paid more for his or her education, and is therefore responsible for noticing changes that might need further attention. Teachers are paid for their knowledge. If you go to college and have a degree in this country, you will be paid for that knowledge and well you should be.

Pay increase ......for nursing and others.....but when looking at the wastage in govt...continuous throwing money away to agencies.....agencies like Bank of the Bahamas with a few hundred employees instead of selling it...protectin private sharelders?... versus..... hundreds an hundreds of public hospital nurses needed more than the bank!!!!....the questions that might be raised with a due diligence even though the accountants have pointed out .......spending more for assets than its worth..100 million ...dollars!!......and on the other hand cannot pay nurses or buy hospital beds, or pay school teachers.....how can dis be when Dr Sands saying one ting and others doing another ting....?.?You know I wid you Dr. Sands cause you kno we lov we PMH ( we realy scrappin.... catchin hell an callin it good times ...cant afford private)

The US has over 2,000 inmates in their prisons who were minors charged and sentenced as adults. They are now in their 60’s along with the regular ageing prison population and will need geriatric care. So prisons will now require additional nurses and nursing facilities. Some attorneys have attempted, unsuccessfully, to have these inmates transferred to special care facilities.

@spoitier ...not only that but in an avtual case of a nurse a few years ago the US hospital got her an apt, school for her child and sent tickets.
Bahamians who are nurses have to have top grades, almost always honour students and deans list, they can easily get foreign schlotships....those who are here actually choose to be here....for various reasons

The UB regime to train nurses is almost like training a doctor for not even half the salary ........ who would go to school for four years to make just over $20,000??? ...... Hell, a Bahamian policeman gets 6 months training with 5 BJCs or a high school diploma to make $25,000 .... and BTC pays janitresses more than that ............. Duane Sands knows better, just do better.

A registered nurse with a bachelor's degree can make a lot more money in the US. They also have better working conditions. The countries in the caribbean, where The Bahamas recruited to make up our short-fall in nurses, the american firms are recruiting there also. These problems have been existed for years but have been ignored by the people in power.Like some issues in this country,they have gotten worse. It will take a lot of imagination, vision and management skills to reduce this situation. Something most leaders in this country don't possess.

i can't fault these people for moving on to better things. you need to leverage your skills and experience to get the best life for yourself and your dependents. A post training bond is a good idea, if taxpayer money trained them, there should be some minimun service requirement. it wont solve the problem, just give us breathing space to find replacements. we can never match first world country jobs, so accept that and look elsewhere, like the phillipines, and hire their well trained people. such is the way of free societies where individuals make their own choices.

Part of the issue- UB/COB

Now that the RN program is a bachelors degree program according to nursing students its taking them 5 years to graduate. Couple that with the registration process being disorganized at times and documents being misplaced by the school. Then there's courses being put off because of not having someone to teach a particular course needed to graduate or move from the pre-requisite course to the core program, courses being discontinued and courses being added when students thinking that they're done. This adds unnecessary time to one being able to graduate. Add to the issue nurses retiring, moving to private hospitals, the US and Canada, you now have a deficit. Obviously nurses are not being produced quick enough to facilitate the needs of the country.

Possible Solution- Revert to the Associates Degree Nursing program which is about 3 years. Focus more on technical skills, bedside manners, nurturing the right attitude and compassion. I'd prefer a nurse with an associates degree highly skilled with a good attitude than a 5 year bachelors degree nurse with a poor attitude. There does exist those nurses who really care are highly skilled and know how to treat people, but not enough to ensure consistency 24 hours a day.

Think about it though. There exists those nurses who are excited about being nurses who really want to save lives,but don't want to work at a place scrapping for supplies and ill equipped. They want to work in a fully equipped state of the art facility that pays well and has room for advancement. Can you blame them? I don't! Do you?

It seems to be about attitude far much than infrastructure,equipment and we'll care reciprocity. Only love is paid with love. This is a very stressful job immerse in a sick society with practically small population full of verbal violence as well as a lot of gun shot wund and stabbed wound among young people who follow the sad process of the "Gun Club Society"
We also are a place full of resorts & Hotels that should offert complimentary room with all amenities available as a courtesy for stressful health care providers including nurses,ambulance staff and Doctors gaining very lou salary.