Working Overtime in Jamaica’s Fight against COVID-19

As a child, Nicola Wisdom-Jarrett never dreamed of becoming a Medical Technologist. She wanted to study medicine because she had a strong desire to help others. However, when the funds to pay for her tuition could not be found, she was forced to change course.

“Initially, I wanted to do medicine, but we didn’t have the funds… so I went in with the intention to get back into medicine.” However, having been a Medical Technologist since 2003 she feels comfortable enough to remain in the profession.

A Medical Technologist is a highly skilled health professional who tests and analyses blood, other body fluids, and tissue samples. The results provided are critical to individuals’ healthcare and sometimes informs national decisions.

Embarking on this new journey, she thought she could take an alternative route into medicine, but little did she know that she would find such great fulfilment along the way.

Now Chief Medical Technologist (CMT) at the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL), Mrs. Wisdom-Jarrett is among the thousands of healthcare practitioners on the front line of Jamaica’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

She supervises a team of 42 persons in charge of receiving and testing the COVID-19 samples that arrive at the facility. She also ensures that documentation is followed through, that the tests are completed, and the results sent to the molecular testing team in a timely manner.

At the height of the pandemic, the NPHL team predominantly dealt with testing COVID-19 samples. However, routine testing for other diseases such as tuberculosis, as well as food and water analysis, still had to be completed, Mrs. Wisdom-Jarrett notes.

She also ensured that her staff was prepared for the daunting task of testing samples of the dreaded virus.

“We had persons who were fearful. Even though on a normal basis we work with samples that are hazardous, the fear of the unknown triggered many persons. We reminded them that these are the same types of samples that they have been working with. We also encouraged them to adhere to the safety protocols as they would normally do,” she explains.

A typical day for the CMT consisted of tasks such as analysing water samples or testing food samples. That was, until the COVID-19 pandemic arrived and disrupted that process. The team had to shift focus from routine testing to a robust cycle of COVID-19 testing.

She recalls the times when operations at the facility were “nice and smooth”; however, when COVID-19 came in, the volume increased significantly.

At the beginning of the pandemic, “there was no coming in to work because we were practically always there. We had persons working anywhere from 36 to 72 hours without going home. There were even occasions when the team’s ability to eat was limited by the number of COVID-19 samples that needed to be tested urgently,” the CMT details.

Despite the increased workload, various teams assisted along the way. They were divided into three groups – the reception team, which tested urgent samples; the core testing team, which focused on routine testing, and the data collation team.

The CMT, who is also responsible for the Tuberculosis and Sanitary Bacterial Department at the NPHL says, “I like to be involved and I believe strongly in leading from the front. I think it also helped when management was involved and they [staff] weren’t left alone… everyone was out there and that really helped persons to realise that we are all in this together”.

The CMT’s hands-on management style has earned her the respect of NPHL staff as well as the trust of the team she leads.

Mrs. Wisdom-Jarrett is one of Jamaica’s healthcare heroes who are being recognised as part of Healthcare Workers Appreciation Month, which is celebrated during July.

She thanks the Ministry of Health and Wellness for recognising those who were at the forefront of the pandemic. “Kudos to the Ministry for applauding staff. I think that you get better value when you identify issues that challenge staff and reward them for [overcoming]”.