Services Administration degree offered by the Mid-western State University in Wichita Falls, Texas is an excellent programme be-cause it provides me with the relevant course material via distance education and is equipping me with the rele-vant information necessary for effective leadership, while remaining on the job. As a Diagnostic Radiog-rapher at the St. Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital, I take x-rays of a wide cross-section of patients from all 14 par-ishes, who present with a wide array of conditions. These include some of the most traumatic (road-traffic accident) conditions in Ja-maica and acute diseases.

Continued on page 2

Congratulations to Sheree Bevett Angell-Clarke for winning the annual Delroy Facey essay contest. She attends Midwestern State University, Wichita Falls, Texas (via distance educa-tion) and is in the process of

obtaining a Master of Health Administration (MHA) in Health Services Administra-tion. Here is the winning essay:

My Major Benefits the Jamaican Community by…

The Master of Health Ad-ministration (MHA) degree is a valuable degree that gives health care workers the opportunity to advance within their technical field to levels of leadership. Within the radiographic profession, there is limited scope of growth or special-ized areas of study in Jamai-ca. The MHA in Health

ESSAY CONTEST WINNER

TRIVIA :

SUMMER 2014 WWW.JAMAICANAMERICANCLUB.ORG

JAMAICAN AMERICAN CLUB NEWSLETTER

Question:

What is the Jamaican con-nection to the founders of the city of Dallas, Texas?

ANSWER:

THE VILLAGE OF DALLAS ST AN-

DREW JAMAICA IS THE ANCESTRAL HOME OF THE DALLAS FAMILY. ALEXANDER JAMES DALLAS, LAW-

YER AND PUBLIC OFFICIAL WAS BORN IN JAMAICA ON JUNE 21, 1759.

Our department is fast-paced, yet severely under resourced, as there is only one x-ray ma-chine which sometimes mal-functions. It takes radiograph-ic competency and leadership skills to complete the hun-dreds of patients seen daily by our department while enlist-ing the co-operation of the patients, their relatives and the other members of staff. Apart from technical duties in the x-ray department, I am frequently called upon by my

supervisor, to make educa-tional presentations on differ-ent topics. I have done presentations within my de-partment and also in the phys-iotherapy department on ‘Hygiene in the Radiology Department’ and ‘Osteoarthritis of the spine’ respectively. Both of which were enjoyable, learning ex-periences for both myself and the audience, as I did exten-sive research. Recently, I was asked to make an impromptu

representation of the Radiolo-gy Department at a develop-mental planning meeting for the hospitals’ diagnostic de-partments and its response to trauma cases. It was the first meeting of this kind for me with external stakeholders, the hospitals’ management team and the head of each department in attendance. I am proud to say that I suc-cessfully delivered the strengths, weaknesses and areas necessary for improve-

three years of full-time stu-dents, totaling at least 120 students. I have a passion for education and will possess the relevant skills to administer the course, thanks to the Mas-ter of Health Services pro-gramme.

the people of Jamaica. Final-ly, to further the profession of radiography and satisfy the shortage of Radiographic edu-cators in the nation’s only radiographic school, I hope to become a part-time lecturer at the University of the West Indies within the School of Medical Radiation Technolo-gy. There are only three full-time radiographic lecturers to

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

whilst relating to staff; organ-izing work to be more effi-cient in handling patients, while not compromising on patient care; representing the department and making edu-cational presentations. The benefits will continue throughout my studies, and ultimately I will learn how to be more efficient in the busi-ness of healthcare within the North East Regional Health

Authority and how to lead a few hundred people; provid-ing I am able to complete the programme given my finan-cial difficulties.

This degree will enable me to assume leadership roles with-in the Regional and National Health system, where I will be involved in making better financial, health and patient-care policies to better serve

areas necessary for improve-ment for my department. Just this week, the Senior Medical Officer sent commendations through my supervisor, on me representing the depart-ment so well, having been asked to the meeting mere minutes before. The benefits of the Master of Health Ad-ministration programme are already being displayed in my daily role as a radiographer,

THIS DEGREE WILL

ENABLE ME TO ASSUME

LEADERSHIP ROLES

WITHIN THE

REGIONAL AND

NATIONAL HEALTH

SYSTEM , WHERE I WILL

BE INVOLVED IN

MAKING BETTER

FINANCIAL , HEALTH

AND PATIENT-CARE

POLICIES TO BETTER

SERVE THE PEOPLE OF

JAMAICA .

PAGE 2 JAMAICAN AMERICAN CLUB NEWSLETTER

Most visitors come to Jamaica see a little of one of the most beautiful islands in the world. Unfortunately they get to interact with only some of its people, and they leave with the impression that all Jamai-cans are Black. Visitors rarely see or have the opportunity to recognize that some Jamai-cans are also Caucasians with different ethnic and cultural ancestries. Some Jamaicans have European and Middle Eastern ancestry, and some

Jamaicans are Chinese and Indian. Consequently they don’t know that many Jamai-cans are also the offspring of unions between White and Black or Chinese or Indian or Lebanese. And they don’t get to know that regardless of ancestry, they all feel one hundred percent Jamaican.

Jamaica’s motto, “Out of Many, One People” tells only a part of Jamaica’s social sto-ry. In my opinion, “One Peo-ple” describes a fierce feeling

of patriotism felt by all Ja-maicans regardless of ethnic or socio-economic back-ground, but tells nothing of the social separation that exists because of skin color and class. This has always been a part of the life of Jamaican people, and Out of Many” correctly suggests that Jamaicans are white, black, yellow, and many shades of brown.

special “English” set them apart from others in the Car-ibbean, and it is difficult to tell a Jamaican story without relying on communication in which the Jamaican dialect is not used. Bawdy curse words and expressions trademark Jamaica’s dialect, and have meaning to Jamaicans alone. The above paragraphs com-bine excerpts from the fore-

The humor in normal every-day communication in Jamai-ca conveys precise meaning which frequently defies literal translation. Jamaican descrip-tions of people, places and things include humorous met-aphorical comparisons, some of which are used with fre-quency and are well known, and others which are concoct-ed on the spot. Jamaicans’

words of my two books, “Sometimes There’s A Winner” and “Delbert And The Ginnal Woman.”

RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT JAMAICA

WWW .SOMETIMESJAMAICA .COM

WWW .JAMAICASTORIES .COM

service are held by black men and women. But poor, rural Jamaicans still struggle for education and decent jobs, and very few ever get an op-portunity to move away from poverty. Jamaicans speak in a dialect which is basically a spoken language without grammatical rules, and is not taught in schools. It cannot even be accurately imitated by anyone who has not lived

in Jamaica. It really can’t be spoken with the correct into-nation and associated meaning by anyone who has not spent many years living on the is-land with Jamaicans. While educated Jamaicans are able to speak the “Queen’s Eng-lish”, they are equally able to converse in the local patois depending on the situation.

The attitudes towards skin color in Jamaica have changed slowly, influenced by the emigration of large percent-ages of the white, Chinese and light-skinned Jamaicans. Facilitated by Jamaica’s Inde-pendence from England and access to higher education which was limited when I was a boy, highly visible jobs to-day in almost every sector of Jamaican business and its civil

JAMAICA ’S

MOTTO , “OUT

OF MANY , ONE

PEOPLE” TELLS

ONLY A PART OF

JAMAICA ’S

SOCIAL STORY .

PAGE 3 WWW .JAMAICANAMERICANCLUB .ORG

This would be a good place to insert a short paragraph about your organization. It

might include the purpose of the organization, its mission, founding date, and a brief

history. You could also include a brief list of the types of products, services, or pro-

grams your organization offers, the geographic area covered (for example, western

U.S. or European markets), and a profile of the types of customers or members

served.

It would also be useful to include a contact name for readers who want more infor-

mation about the organization.