While most children her age broke into a sweat before they visited the dentist office, Angeline Butler loved it-so much so that she became a dental hygienist herself.

?I had braces when I was younger and one day on a routine visit, the assistant of the late Dr. Timothy Tetlow told me how puffy my gums were. She also told me what I could do to get rid of them. The bleeding and inflammation left almost instantly and I was thrilled!

?She told me, ?If you like that, then you would like being a dental hygienist?,? she tells

And that?s exactly what Angeline did. While attending St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont, she spent time shadowing a local hygienist and by the time her tenure was up, she was convinced that the field was definitely one that she wanted to pursue.

Upon graduating from the prep school, she furthered her studies at Hampton University, where she majored in Biology. After a year there, she transferred to Old Dominion and enrolled in the Dental Hygiene programme, which was then ranked among the top five nationwide.

The Registered Dental Hygienist says getting into the programme was not a cakewalk.

?Before I could enter, I had to take prerequisite classes like Anatomy and Physiology, Organic Chemistry and Biology, amongst others. All of my grades had to be a B or higher in order to be admitted into the programme.?

She continues: ?At the time, I did not like my programme as it was very demanding but it prepared me for a variety of careers within the dental field.?

In 1995, Angeline graduated from Old Dominion with a Bachelor of Science degree in Dental Hygiene. However, once she returned to the Island she was unable to find fulltime employment. But instead of turning her back on the industry she held down three part-time jobs as a hygienist to make ends meet.

?I even had a fourth job in an optician?s office,? she adds with a smile.

Luckily, she only had to juggle her workload for a few months because in January 1996, she gained fulltime employment at the office of Dr. Leroy H. Simmons as a clinician. She still works for him to this day. Angeline also continues to work part-time at the office of Dr. John B. Dickinson, something she has on and off for the last ten years.

As a hygienist, Angeline says no two days are ever alike as her tasks vary from day to day.

?My duties can vary slightly, depending on the patients? needs, but basically I can do anything from taking blood pressure, doing oral cancer screenings, probing, scaling and root planning, polishing, placing sealants, taking impressions, administering fluoride treatments, oral hygiene instruction, taking x-rays, whitening and sometimes nutritional counselling,? she adds.

As she states how much she loves what she does for a living, Angeline says one of the things she likes the most is that she enjoys helping people take care of their mouths.

She emphasises: ?I love the before and after effect on mouths. I also love that something new is always evolving in this field. I also get to work with two great dentists and my colleagues are great, too!?

The hygienist cites patients not wanting to take good care of their mouths as one of the challenges of her job, but she says she always finds a solution if given the opportunity: ?To keep them motivated I am constantly finding different techniques to try. I also encourage them to take care of their mouths like they would any other part of their body that was infected.?

If one is interested in entering the field, Angeline recommends they shadow a hygienist regardless if they are here or abroad.

?They should work in a dental office, particularly on school holidays, because they can learn a lot from the dentist and the assistants. This would aid them tremendously in their dental hygiene studies.?

She also cites working as a dental assistant as a good way to prepare for a career as a hygienist and adds, ?Another piece of advice would be to obtain as much experience outside of Bermuda as possible once they have their degree and then return to Bermuda to work. Obtaining experience makes a person more attractive when being hired.?

And that?s exactly what Registered Nurse Sevonne Scott did. The married mother of one spent several years working in various parts of the US before returning to the Island in 2003 to work in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital (KEMH).

Sevonne started training for her career in nursing while in high school. She chose to complete her work release requirement at St. Brendans Hospital (now known as the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute) in both the Educational and Recreational departments for the learning disabled.

She continued to work there after graduating from Bermuda Institute during school breaks and also as a nurse?s aide while pursuing her Associates Degree in Nursing at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama.

In 2002, the Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) scholarship recipient, graduated with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Nursing from the University of Huntsville Alabama. Instead of returning home right away she spent a year working as a travelling nurse in Nashville, Tennessee and parts of California.

Sevonne wanted to be a nurse for as long as she can remember: ?My first memory is dressing up as a nurse for career day in second grade?and my aspiration has never changed.?

The RN loves what she does and believes that nursing is truly her calling.

?I enjoy my job, I feel that I have chosen the right profession and area of expertise. I like the high intensity and diversity that working in the Intensive Care Unit brings. Nursing is a rewarding profession when you are truly dedicated to what you do,? she adds, while she admits that working in the ICU can be very challenging where her duties include caring for a plethora of acute illnesses.

?You never know what is going to walk through the door. You can go from one patient to five critical patients within a few hours. Critical patients require many life saving interventions and procedures. You must have good time management skills and be able to cope with high intensity levels when the need arises.?

And how does she overcomes this challenge? By managing her time wisely, she responds.

?As patient acuity arises, my intensity arises. After you have worked in this type of field long enough, you know what plan of care you need to take based on the patient?s condition so you are better prepared for anything that may arise.?

Sevonne says a person who is interested in nursing should possess the following attributes: ?You should love caring not only for the sick but their families as well. You must be personable, reliable, diligent, professional, competent and to be able to work in a diverse environment with high intensity levels.?

While pursuing a degree in nursing, the RN suggests students pay special attention at science and biology courses as well as specialised nursing courses such as Medical-Surgical, Psychiatric, Paediatrics, Labour and Delivery and Extended Care. She also encourages aspiring nurses to volunteer at the hospital as a candy striper while in high school. Like Angeline, she stresses the importance of work shadowing in order to obtain on the job exposure. Along with continuing to expand her knowledge in nursing, Sevonne plans to obtain a Masters Degree in Clinical Education and Nursing Management within the next ten years.

As Acting Pharmacy Manager at KEMH, Dr. Kareema Sharrieff loves that her job is never redundant. In fact, she describes the ever changing environment she works in as addictive.

?I wake every morning and enjoy going to work. More importantly I love being a pharmacist and giving 110% to the clients of the hospital. Whenever a person loves their profession it shows in their work. I love to problem solve and tackle issues head on. It keeps the job interesting.?

Before endeavouring to become a pharmacist, Kareema was armed with a passion for delivering exceptional customer service and knew that she wanted to work in the medical field but says it was not until she had a meeting with pharmacist Donna Pearman, owner of People?s Pharmacy, that she realised that she had found her calling.

After acquiring an undergraduate degree in advanced analytical chemistry and business management, she furthered her studies at Northeastern University where she obtained her Doctorate in Pharmacy. After completing her clinical clerkship in various hospitals in the New England area, Kareema says she was eager to return home to share what she had learned. She says she also wanted to give back to the community.

?I wanted to contribute to the hospital that so generously provided me with the monetary benefits to complete my schooling,? she says.

And she did. Within a short time of returning to the Island, Kareema joined the BHB as a pharmacist and was subsequently chosen by the then-Pharmacy Manager to act in her stead under the current succession plan. The doctor describes a few of her duties.

?Primarily I ensure the department provides adequate services to the community and its clients. Budget control is at the top of the list along with channelling proper control and dispensing of narcotics. Another duty under the pharmacy is providing adequate clinical support to physicians and nurses. One requirement would be involvement in multidisciplinary care teams.

?It is pertinent that there be a constant review of policies and procedures making sure they are in accordance with accreditation bodies that govern the proper operation of the pharmacy. Maintaining productive working relationships with other managers in the hospital who may request a service is vital and may often require sitting on various committees to keep abreast with changes and requests,? she continues.

Ensuring that she remains within her departmental budget is one of Kareema?s biggest challenges but she overcomes this by constantly trying to negotiate with vendors for the best prices she can get, as well maintaining stringent inventory management within the scope of the organisation. She is also extremely committed to creating a positive learning environment for staff.

?I offer staff constant encouragement to continuously learn and attend to attend the free educational opportunities provided by the BHB as well as organisational involvement internationally when it is possible. This helps to keep abreast with best practices. I support staff travelling for continuous training opportunities,? the doctor says.

Potential pharmacists, Kareema offers this advice to you: ?You must be self-motivated, resourceful, diplomatic, possess interpersonal skills along with verbal and written skills and you must be a problem solver.?

But most of all, she stresses, you must be patient.

?Pharmacy is not an easy profession to quickly attain a degree. You must be steadfast and love the sciences. I would advise working in a local pharmacy to measure your surroundings and environment to see if it is a fit for you. We welcome volunteers in the hospital pharmacy so that students can have a tangible evidence about pharmacy.?