In Guyana, after her mother died, Elverine Cadogan-Smartt’s maternal aunt raised her in their small village.
“During my childhood years, she sent me to perform chores for older women who were not able to get around and take care of their physical well being,” she remembers. With this early emersion, Ms. Cadogan-Smartt developed a passion for helping people and gaining satisfaction when seeing them restore to optimal health. She became a registered nurse while in Berbice, Guyana.
After immigrating to the U.S., Ms. Cadogan-Smartt resumed her education, obtaining her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing.
She has been a certified psychiatric nurse for 21 years. “I have a passion for teaching and became a CPR instructor at the same hospital while still working in charge of the psychiatric unit,” she says.
This dedicated nurse worked at Brookdale University Medical Center for 35 years before retiring. She was the recipient of numerous commendations and awards for her outstanding performances in medical, surgical, psychiatric and emergency units. Her career has spanned a total of 44 years.
Additionally, Ms. Cadogan-Smartt participates in various health projects including monthly blood pressure screenings and health fairs at her church, God’s Battalion of Prayer.
She keeps her license active and applies medical intervention if warranted with church members and with various groups including her volunteer work during Hurricane Sandy relief.
Ms. Cadogan-Smartt attributes Clara Barton as having a great impact on her life, “I read her history which described a similarity to my childhood. She had a passion for helping people and took care of her father while he was ill and nursed him until he died.”
She and her husband of 46 years, Godfrey Smartt, have five children and 14 grandchildren.
