|
|
Heartline Magazine April - June 2003
Profile : Multi-skilled programme director
Charged with the responsibility of managing the Cardiac Disease Prevention &
Rehabilitation (CDP&R) programme at the Heart Foundation of Barbados (HFOB),
Programme Director Shirley Gill takes it all in stride. The job of balancing a
daily schedule that involves organizing and participating in exercise sessions,
teaching and counselling up to 90 clients in the rehab programme, as well as
performing various administrative duties, is a taxing but rewarding challenge.
She readily admits that she enjoys the interaction with the clients, being with
them, and witnessing the positive results of the programme. "It's a special
feeling" she said, "when you see the progress the clients have made, where they
came from, and where they are going. It gives you a sense of achievement."
A registered nurse since 1976, Mrs. Gill has specialised training in
intensive care nursing. She has had a long career at the Queen Elizabeth
Hospital, functioning in many areas of that institution, before joining the
Heart Foundation of Barbados in 1997 in the position she now holds.
Multi-skilled, she is an instructor trainer in CPR, and conducts this and
related courses at the HFOB. Mrs. Gill is trained as an exercise specialist with
the American College of Sports Medicine, and has attended many workshops, both
locally and overseas. She is also a midwife.
Among her several accomplishments, Mrs. Gill also boasts a purple belt in
Karate.
Ironically, the routine of providing counselling and relief for clients over
a long day, from 7.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. creates its own stress for this busy
director.
How does she handle it?
"Mostly by walking" said Mrs. Gill, "and some swimming. These are still
possibly the two best methods of getting exercise. And I cannot impress upon
people too much the benefits of exercise, which is certainly the best way of
relieving stress."
Intent on continuously updating and improving her knowledge, just last year
Mrs. Gill completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology and Psychology at
the University of the West Indies.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
