BARBADOS CHAPTER

Recently back home was Eslie Hollinsworth one of our past students who graduated from the class of 1973. I manage to catch-up with Eslie on the phone just the night before he left for his home in the US. I now present to you the following interview.

Question: - What line of work did you consider going into when you were at school?

Answer: - I wanted to be in the hospitality business, I saw myself working as a hotel manager or at least a front office manager in a hotel as it seemed to me at the time that this was where the money was.

Question: - What did you do right after you left school?

Answer : -I worked at Paradise hotel for about 6 months, where the manager there told me that hotel money could be seasonal up and down and it would be good if I could get into government. So knowing someone in nursing I tried at the psychiatric hospital one day in 1974 and started to work the very next day. While there I received formal training in 1976 as a psychiatric nurse and continued working there until 1987 when I left for New York.

Question: - Did you go straight into nursing there?

Answer:- No I had to go back to school as my qualifications to date were not sufficient for the regular nursing there. I went back to school while working at Brookdale Hospital and did the nursing degree Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in 1989.

Question: - Where did you work in NY?

Answer: - As I said I first work at Brookdale Hospital but I move on to Manhattan State Psychiatric Centre as I was first trained in psychiatric nursing and I like this type of work.

Question: - Did you do any special type of work there?

Answer: - I dealt mostly with alcoholics and substance abuse cases, working with many Hispanics and learning quite a bit of Spanish while on the job. I further went on to do some managerial courses and became assistant director of the programme which at that time had 50 beds under its care.

Question: - How long did you work there?

Answer:- I work there until 1994 and I would like to add that during this time I moonlighted at a gyniatrics care institution and was the evening supervisor of that 250 bed senior citizen's facility. 

Question: - What happen then in 1994?

Answer: - Move to Texas and became the director of a 120 bed gyniatrics long term care facility in McAllen Texas. While there I decide to further my qualifications and completed my BSN. I also became more fluent in Spanish as most of the population and staff were Mexicans.

Question : - Eslie, I should have asked before, but are you a family man?

 Answer : - Yes, I have a wife, Rita of 29 years now  and two children, my son Marty, and my  daughter Nisha and my son has two children a boy and girl 4 and 2 year olds respectively.

Question: - So are you still living in Texas?

Answer : - No I moved on to Florida in 2003 where I have become director of nursing at a retirement community. I am now learning a new language Creole, as 85% of the persons I come into contact with are Haitians. I must say that I have scored a first being the first black person to be director of this facility in Florida.

Question: - If you were to give some advice to some of our children still at school and some who might have just left what would that be?

Answer: - Young people should make the best of the opportunities that they have.- Reach for the stars in case you fall short you will reach the clouds.- You need not to be afraid of taking a chance. - Go for it.

Well Elsie It has been good talking to you after so many years I want to wish many more successful years and may God continue to bless you and your family.

Eslie left on the 17th March 2008 for Florida but is hoping to be back in August. If you want to reach him you might send an email to the webmaster of this sight.

This interview was conducted

 by Osmond Brathwaite