Twelve healthcare students have been encouraged to “seize the opportunity”, expand their knowledge and return to the Bermuda Hospitals Board after receiving scholarships from the BHB.

In a ceremony this week, the students were presented certificates of awards valued at up to $15,000 for one year and totalling $152,000.

Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited educational institution approved by a relevant licensing council and maintain at least a 3.0 or equivalent grade point average.

Four of the general scholarship recipients are medical students.

Anna Francoeur was awarded $15,000 for a year, while Jerssiah Hassell-Belboda, Sarah Vijaykumar and Chiyaro Wedderburn were each awarded $10,000.

Zekiah Lewis received the Dr Keith Cunningham Medical Technologist scholarship in the amount of $15,000 for 12 months.

Five students pursuing careers in nursing also received awards.

The Dashunte Furbert scholarship recipient was Christopher Bean for nursing studies at Bermuda College. He received $5,000 for a year.

Mishale Corday, Naziah Robinson, Alaysia Swan and Zhi Williams each received one-year awards of $15,000.

Allied Health scholarships were awarded to Keimani Trott, who secured $15,000 as she studies speech and hearing science, and to Kimora-Lee Bean, a medical lab science student whose scholarship values $12,000.

Paul Jones, the BHB’s chief people officer, described the calibre of submissions from awardees this year as “impressive”.

He added: “I encourage our student recipients to seize the opportunity to expand their knowledge and experience and ultimately return to BHB to share their expertise.”

Judy Richardson, the board’s acting chief executive and chief of nursing, said: “As chief of nursing I am especially excited to see the high calibre of students pursuing studies in this area.

“We can offer immediate employment and guarantee career opportunities over the next five years for newly qualified registered nurses who demonstrate the required competencies.

“As Bermuda faces high rates of chronic disease and a growing senior population, the demand for skilled healthcare professionals continues to increase.

“This creates strong career prospects for compassionate, capable graduates who are committed to serving the community at home in Bermuda.

“We are pleased to invest in educating our scholarship recipients.

“We know that doing so helps ensure Bermuda has the healthcare workforce needed to care for generations to come.”