Little Cayman Nurse found her niche

Nurse Mary Ellen Cutts arrived on Little Cayman just
after Hurricane Ivan to take up the role of resident
nurse. As well as finding her niche in life she has also
found the support of the Little Cayman Fire Service i
nvaluable in her new role.


Nurse Mary Ellen Cutts says Little Cayman feels like
 coming home.

By Nicky Watson

Friday, May 20,  2005

Mary Ellen Cutts arrived on Little Cayman five days after Hurricane Ivan to take up the position of the Island’s resident nurse.

She had been recruited before anyone knew Ivan was on its way, and afterwards, the Health Services Authority gave her the option of waiting a while before she came down. She was told that, under the circumstances, it was understood if she wanted to delay her arrival.

However, Nurse Cutts decided they needed her right away and actually came two weeks early. Growing up in South Carolina, she is accustomed to hurricanes and used to living in a tropical climate, so she got right down to work as soon as she arrived. She was fresh, while everyone else was tired after the storm, she explained.

She grew up in a small town called Murrells Inlet and, fifteen years ago, it was exactly like Little Cayman. When she first arrived on Little Cayman for her interview, she felt as if she was coming home, she said.

Nurse Cutts has been working in an emergency department for the last 11 years, but she felt that she wanted to do some traveling and needed a change. Coincidentally, she met an anesthetic nurse, David Davis, who worked at Faith Hospital several years ago, and he told her about the Sister Islands. Initially, Nurse Cutts applied for a locum position on Little Cayman, but when she was offered a full-time job, she accepted.

“It’s a little stressful being on call 24/7,” she admitted, and it was a little frightening at first – she didn’t know quite what to expect. Since she’s been here, there have been a couple of emergencies which have tested her skills and tested the people around her. Now she knows that she can always rely on the guys from the Little Cayman Fire Service to help her with anything, and any one of the resorts will supply manpower and trucks in minutes to help haul her equipment or lift a patient, day or night. She also has great back-up from the two police officers, “who are always at the scene of an emergency,” before her, she said.

Knowing that she can rely on everyone makes her job much easier, and in addition, a paramedic has recently been recruited to work with her on the Island to assist and relieve, so she will not have to be on call the whole time. He is still on orientation and they haven’t worked out a routine yet, she said.

“I love the job. I have to use my whole scope of practice - suturing, intubating the patients, dealing with insurance, filling my own oxygen, sterilizing my own equipment. In a normal hospital setting, these are usually done by separate departments,” said Nurse Cutts.

She’s learned so many things that will be useful to her for the rest of her life, she said: “I think you have to have some emergency department experience for this job, just to handle the stress.”

Whenever she has needed time off, she has been given it, and has even been able to take a trip back home to South Carolina.

“I miss the shopping, but I don’t miss the hustle and bustle of cities. I miss having a variety of restaurants and even going to have a quiet dinner without everyone knowing you,” she said.

On the other hand, she loves walking, running, biking, kayaking, snorkeling and, especially, fishing, activities that are readily available on Little Cayman. Her fishing buddy is past District Officer Bruce Eldermire and they do a lot of trolling in the lagoon together looking for Jacks. Nurse Cutts is also a certified Scuba Instructor, so she is hoping to find time to dive.

“Small island life is not for everybody,” she said. “Things don’t always go right and you’ve just got to deal with it. You have to be able to adapt in the job and socially. You have to be brave and have faith in God and faith in the people of the Island. Trust is the key.”

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