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Too much now.
I’m a nurse at the MCMH , and I’m tired. I’m not just tired from a long shift or a busy night, I’m tired from years of being expected to do more with less while being paid like what I do doesn’t matter. We voted for change, and there still isn’t any.
We walk into wards where one nurse is supposed to safely look after far more patients than any guideline or policy would allow. Sometimes, more than 30 to one staff nurse and a nursing assistant on a night shift of 12 hours .Then you have to hand over for another hour or so that’s not paid for.
I’m sure the public have observed us rushing from bed to bed, trying to give meds, check vitals, change dressings, and respond to patient calls , all without time to sit, eat, or even use the bathroom properly.
When we speak up about patient safety we’re told, “Do your best,” then chastised when things aren’t done as if it is personal failing and not a system failure.
There are days when I don’t get a real break. From continuous tasks, if you ask for a proper day off, you’re made to feel like you’re being difficult. Meanwhile, the job is getting harder, and we’re expected to just “manage.” Anytime we complain , we are asked how we expect to come Sisters if we can’t manage. It’s like giving an impossible task.
In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, where I work, we are among the lowest‑paid nurses in the region. Yet we handle the same complex cases, the same outbreaks, and the same emergencies as our colleagues abroad.
It’s heartbreaking to see friends and classmates leave for the UK, Canada, or the US places where they’re paid fairly, respected, and given environments that don’t constantly push them to the edge. They’re not leaving because they don’t love nursing; they’re leaving because they finally decided to love themselves a little more.
Every time another nurse migrates, our workload increases, and the pressure on those of us who stay becomes unbearable. We see more errors, more near‑misses, and more patients who stay longer because we simply don’t have enough hands to prevent complications.
We become good at hiding our stress, but we’re not blind. We know this is unsustainable.
I’m not asking for a medal. I’m asking for fairness. Pay us what we’re worth. Staff wards safely. Give us real breaks and proper days off. Treat us as the skilled professionals we are, not as disposable resources. Until that happens, we will keep breaking down, and so will the very system we’re giving our lives to protect. Please, Minister of Health, hear out cries …. It’s too much now.
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