Dr. Felix Holiday with St. Maarten students attending the Caribbean Care event in Holland.
~ St. Maarten medical students to return in time for new hospital opening ~
CAY HILL– St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) continued its ongoing recruitment drive when its representatives attended the “Care Caribbean” event in the Netherlands in November with the aim to recruit St. Maarten students currently engaged in medical studies abroad.
The Care Caribbean event seeks to better connect Dutch Caribbean health care institutions and medical students/young health care professionals from the Dutch Caribbean currently residing in Holland. The event was well attended by both groups and SMMC Medical Director Dr. Felix Holiday also was featured as one of keynote speakers.
Dr. Holiday’s presentation mainly focused on the existing cooperation between the Dutch Caribbean islands and the tremendous support St. Maarten received from Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao and Holland post-Hurricane Irma. He specifically addressed the young medical professionals present and invited them to “come back home.”
As a follow-up goal of this event, SMMC will keep expanding its network of medical/health care students from St. Maarten to ensure a higher percentage return home after graduation.
The SMMC delegation consisting of Dr. Felix Holiday and Hester Versleyen, who is responsible for SMMC’s strategic partnerships and recruitment of medical specialists, met with several medical students hailing from St. Maarten – Destiny Gibbes, Tishelle Daniel, Naeem Juliana, Kim Verschueren and Shacara Blake, among others. Discussed with the students were their medical fields of specialisation so that they can fill critical vacancies at SMMC – some due to current specialists set to retire in the coming years – in time for when the new hospital opens up.
Medical doctor and psychiatry student Naeem Juliana said, “The highlight of the event for me was hearing Dr. Holiday’s speech. He combined an honest assessment of the island’s challenges with an optimistic look at our future. It created an atmosphere of excited curiosity in the room, and I hope that can materialize into many young Antillean doctors coming to St. Maarten in the future.”
According to medical doctor Tishelle Daniel, “Speaking to representatives of SMMC felt reassuring, because I now have the feeling that ‘home’ is waiting for me. Although I have thought about my future at SMMC when I was interning there, discussing the opportunities now as a medical professional felt surreal.”
Medical doctor currently specialising in gynaecology and obstetrics Kim Verschueren said, “It was great being surrounded by fellow St. Maarteners with similar ambitions wanting to contribute to the health care system of our island from a distance, and that actually felt possible. Getting together, exchanging ideas and creating possibilities with fellow St. Maarteners keeps us engaged and encourages us to get through our specialisations, gain experience and return to the island someday.”
St. Maarten medical students and young professionals abroad and in St. Maarten are encouraged to get in contact with SMMC to be kept abreast of any current and future vacancies.
As SMMC transitions to St. Maarten General Hospital with the aim to provide quality care close to home, a total of 100 additional full-time employees will be needed over the next three years. Interested persons can send their resumé and motivation letter to
HR@smmc.sx .
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/83886-smmc-continues-recruitment-of-students-abroad-for-new-hospital
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