A New Graduate Nurse Still Waiting to Serve
Dear Editor,
I write as a newly qualified nurse who worked tirelessly to achieve my dream of serving my country through healthcare.
Completing my nursing degree required four years of demanding coursework, sleepless nights, emotional strain, clinical rotations, and significant financial sacrifice. Graduating and becoming licensed should have marked the beginning of my professional journey — a time of excitement and pride. Instead, it has become a period of silence, uncertainty, and deep discouragement.
Like many of my classmates, I applied to the hospital with hope and readiness to serve, learn, and give back to the very community that supported us through our studies. However, despite submitting applications, we have received little to no formal communication beyond informal acknowledgement, with no clear updates or timelines.
At the same time, we have watched the hospital move forward with recruiting more than 100 nurses from overseas. This is not a criticism of those nurses, who, like us, are seeking opportunities to build their lives and careers. Rather, it raises a difficult question: where does this leave qualified and licensed local graduates who are ready and willing to contribute?
Each day without communication feels like a quiet rejection. It forces many of us to question our sacrifices and wonder whether our dedication is being overlooked. We are not asking for favoritism — only for fairness, transparency, and the opportunity to be considered.
As young professionals and adults, we face real financial responsibilities: household expenses, student obligations, and the rising cost of living. These pressures do not pause while we wait indefinitely for a call that may or may not come. Our training is specialised; we are prepared to work in healthcare. Outside of the sector, opportunities can be limited, forcing some graduates to seek employment in unrelated fields simply to survive.
It is disheartening to feel as though we must plead for the chance to do the very job we trained to perform. More than anything, it is painful to feel invisible in our own homeland when we stand ready to serve.
I share this not out of bitterness, but out of hope — hope that our voices will be heard, that greater transparency will be provided, and that decision-makers will recognise that behind every application is a trained professional eager to contribute.
Nursing is both practical and theoretical. Skills must be maintained through consistent practice. When newly trained nurses remain unemployed for extended periods, the profession risks losing valuable readiness and momentum. We are ready now. We are qualified. We are committed.
All we ask for is a fair opportunity to serve the community that shaped us.
Sincerely,
A Concerned New Graduate Nurse
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
Omg!! Make this situation make sense!! Ghanaians before Antiguans? Would Ghana do this to their nurses? Naaaahhhh! I think not!! Antiguans 1st. Who gives jobs to another nationality before securing their own nationals?? Sheeezzzz!
What is happening on ANTIGUA 🇦🇬 my Beautiful country, Landon of my Birth? I know from a Historic perspective when a nurse Qualified and registered after Training they were placed at Holberton Hospital, the Practice continued under the old name mount St.Johns Hospital, now it is rebranded Sir.Lester Bird Hospital, young Graduate nurse has On waiting list. Quo Vadis? We really want to loose our young Bright minds- Nurses to the U S and UK that’s begging them to travel. Please give this young ANTIGUAN a chance. 🇦🇬🇦🇬🇦🇬🇦🇬
Shame, shame and more shame on the authorities, the Health Minister and the ABLP. They fast-tracked the nurses from Ghana 🇬🇭 and couldn’t find employment for a new graduate?
I hope that Health Minister Molwyn Joseph uses his clout and intervenes to finds a worthwhile position for this highly qualified – it seems – graduate.
All the best for the future @Concerned Nurse 👍🏾
I hope you voted for the ablp
Nurses, please contact me, I will be able to assist you in getting private jobs with wealthy folks who would pay you less than what an American nurse makes but substantially more than what you would make in Antigua. They have vacation homes in Antigua (older folks), but would love to have nurses 24/7 in which they do not mind paying $75,000ec or about. You may be able to get US work authorization and US greencard by working for these people in this field.
My way off helping how do I reach you i am tired off this place
While I sympathize with this nurse, maybe you can also apply with private doctors as well. There are many opportunities for new nurses out there apart from the hospital. You’ve got to think outside the box until you get the job you want.
Instead of only sending applications, print off a few resumes and reference letters and hit the pavement. As an HR person, my advice to you would be to not wait for the job to come to you. Go get the job. Maybe in the meantime you can volunteer or intern to get some experience and boost your resume. While this may not pay the bills, it does show drive and ambition that many places are looking for.
Hang in there…..
Come on folks. Sad but true. This is the society that you live in and many of you are proud of.
The reality is: the indigenous people of this country are not loved or cared about.
In the past these young graduate nurses would have gone to the US primarily; or to the UK or Canada.
With Trump now charging recruiters USD $150,000 to process a H1B visa, these graduate nurses aren’t being readily recruited.
Examine the facts. Everything the Government say and do is performative, and with no solution you the people suffer in pain.
These young graduates will be blamed for not finding a job at the local hospital.
In the mean time the ABLP is planning a law school at UWI Five Islands, with no one standing up, a stating how asinine is the idea of creating and having such a thing as a new law school. Many will argue its progress.
The progress in this country, is to step on the local people more and more. Call them lazy as well as other derogatory words, and get away with it.
Watch for the responses: when the young graduate nurses are to be blamed.
@ MACBETH GEORGE
While history is importantly look at the reality.
@ My Way Of Helping,
This is a failure here is incompetence in leadership.
The solution is one of people in government who are knowledgeable leaders.
While you may be able to help. I’ll ask:
Do you have a waiver on the new HB-1 visa charges; and in the suspension on the processing and issuance of Green Cards?
I know you are trying to help; but read the headlines or say something about that impediment.
I am only now seeing this. The suspension may be removed from an applicant on a cases by case basis. Very difficult, but have been done. Usually arguing national importance, substantial merit, or humanitarian reasons may help in getting the suspension removed from a specific (individual) case.
Also I am not a advocate for H visas but for greencards based on extraordinary ability (EB-1) or exceptional ability (EB-1NIW). These are self-petitioning greencard applications that you do not need an employer for, is based on YOUR experience/knowledge and while cases are pending and you are inside the country, you could get work authorization and travel documents while you wait for a decision on your application.
You may follow my WhatsApp channel to see progress in these cases. I post them when I get them, the status, from submission to approval. In between is shown too.
Corrections, EB-2NIW****?
Comments are closed.