Third time’s a charm for Nurse of the Year
After previous attempts, Fione Joy Collins finally takes top award
Published:Monday | July 21, 2025 | 12:12 AMEdmond Campbell/Senior Staff Reporter
It is often said that ‘third time’s a charm’ and this proved true for Fione Joy Collins, the deputy director of nursing services at the Percy Junor Hospital in Manchester, who was overwhelmed on Saturday when she was named Nurse of the Year during the annual awards ceremony on Saturday.
In one of her previous attempts, Collins was placed as the second runner-up in 2019. However, the nurse leader returned to the competition with zest and determination, striving this time around to secure the most sought-after prize for nurses.
Distinguishing herself as the top nurse from a field of 11, Collins says lifting this prestigious award ranks very high among her lifetime achievements.
The first runner-up was Machel Edwards-Lewis, registered nurse, registered midwife and neonatology nurse at the Mandeville Regional Hospital, while the second runner-up was Antonette Bent, charge nurse – emergency room at the University Hospital of the West Indies.
Collins’ tenacity paid off when she was announced the Nurse of the Year at the LASCO and Nurses Association of Jamaica’s (NAJ) Nurse of the Year & Nursing Student of the Year Awards Ceremony, held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.
Collins said lifting the title meant a lot to her as she was now able to be an ambassador for the NAJ, and the LASCO Chin Foundation, by becoming a voice to speak on behalf of nurses and the profession in general.
Having some 27 years under her belt as a nurse, Collins said the nursing profession has made significant strides over the years, with the NAJ playing a key role through its advocacy and representation to advance nursing in Jamaica.
Give back to country
Asked to comment on the increasing number of local nurses migrating to take up overseas jobs, Collins said many in the profession have set different goals and aspirations and working in the health sector abroad forms part of their plans and objectives.
“We can never compete with the global avenues for nurses, and so we can never stop them from migrating,” she said. However, the newly minted Nurse of the Year encouraged Jamaican nurses to give back to the country by making their contributions to lifting the standard of healthcare.
During the ceremony, the NAJ and LASCO also recognised the nursing student of the year selected from seven nursing institutions across the country.
Colie Lyn, a third-year student of Brown’s Town Community College School of Nursing was named Nursing Student of the Year. Okeive Matheson of the University of Technology, Jamaica, Western Campus was the first runner-up, while Excelsior Community College’s Chevon Anderson was the second runner-up.
Beaming with pride, Lyn told The Gleaner that while the competition was rigid, the journey was exhilarating as she basks in the glory of achieving such a prestigious award.
The top nursing student of the year revealed that at the outset, she shied away from entering the competition.
“When you have persons around you that see that light in you and see what you are able to accomplish, I was actually encouraged by my batchmates, who insisted that I should be a part of the competition,” she said.
Describing himself as a change-maker, Matherson said he was elated to be among the males who are making their contributions in a female-dominated area of the health sector.
For his part, Anderson said this achievement is a precursor for greater things, as he sets his sights on being the nurse of the year in future.
He said his ultimate goal is to become an intensive care nurse, as well as a nurse anaesthetist.
The NAJ’s week of events was held under the theme ‘Our Nurses. Our Future. Caring for Nurses Strengthens Economies’.