N14 National Nursing Week 2014 — S A L U T E Yue (Kathy) Ma – Sunnybrook Veterans Residence
My husband has been a resident in L Wing(LGSW) for 2 years and 5 months. Kathy has been Bruce's primary nurse for most of this time. An outstanding, true professional who cares deeply for the veterans in her care. She keeps me posted by phone when needed and we chat when I visit. She shows great compassion for my husband as his behavior is a challenge due to Alzheimers.
Lauren Edwards – Trillium Health Partners
I have been fortunate to work with Lauren and have seen her demonstrate a breadth of nursing skills and knowledge that is quite impressive. Her competence as a great leader and her willingness and enthusiasm to participate in building a stronger emergency nurse team through information sharing and the skills development of less experienced and beginning nurses is well respected amongst her peers.
Delia Ciano – McKenzie Health
My wife was rushed to Mackenzie Health with high fever. After necessary tests and medications, she was transferred to floor 4- East. The Nurse who looked after her was Ms. Delia Ciano. Her mindful listening, support and care towards my wife was commendable. Delia provided excellent clinical and emotional support. Above all, she is a knowledgeable nurse and my wife got appropriate care that was courteous, timely and respectful.
Joseph Gajasan – University Health Network
Transformational Leadership is what Joseph does on a day-to-day basis. For example, he helped a Partner in Care project that I’ve been working on for the past two years to become something much bigger and a lot more patients benefited. It became something much more innovative and creative than I anticipated. Joseph is a true Leader and I aspire to be like him one day and I’m encouraged to continue with my leadership development.
Kate Uchendu – University Health Network, Toronto General (2)
I have Sickle Cell Disease. I’d like to honor Kate Uchendu as a Hero because she is a good nurse. Since I met Kate 2 years ago, she makes me feel very secure. She is very concerned about my well-being. Kate has a big heart and she loves her work very much. She is doing everything to get more information for Sickle Cell and she finds what she needs to help patients be better in life. 2nd nomination: She is having a global impact through her work as she recently submitted an abstract that got selected for a conference abroad. Kate embraces academic excellence and seeks ways to embark on quality improvement for our clinic. She is leading other projects in the hospital such as the novel pilot project to enable Red Blood Cell Disorders patients have their crossmatch specimens drawn at centres close to home. This project, if successful (and I have no doubt with Kate on the project
Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario
Recognizing Nurses For Providing Leadership At The Point Of Care On behalf of the team at RPNAO, we’d like to take this opportunity to wish all our nursing colleagues throughout Canada a very happy Nursing Week. Nursing Week is a time when all the countries around the world pause to celebrate nurses and the important work they do. There are more than 35,000 Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs) working in Ontario today. And more than ever, these nurses are being asked to play key roles in diverse health care teams along their Registered Nurse and Nurse Practitioner colleagues and a wide range of allied health professionals. RPNAO’s theme for Nursing Week 2014 is “Leadership at the point of care. Ontario’s RPNs.” It’s a theme that celebrates the skill, expertise and dedication of Ontario’s RPNs, who, working alongside their peers in health care, demonstrate true leadership as they work to make positive differences in the lives of their patients, clients, residents and their family members. They demonstrate this leadership at the point of care in long-term care facilities, palliative care units, operating rooms, community care settings, emergency rooms and every other health care setting in which you will find a nurse. During this special week, it is our honour to recognize and thank all nurses and other health care practitioners for the important and selfless work they do. Sincerely,
The Staff And Board Of Directors Of RPNAO HOSPITAL NEWS MAY 2014
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it will succeed), will change transfusion practice as it will reduce patient wait times significantly.
Anne Stephens – Toronto Central CCAC
Watching Anne Stephens work with a client with aphasia, who is unable to speak, in order to perform a ‘capacity assessment’ to determine their ability to make and communicate decisions for themselves, is a remarkable experience. Her care, respect, patience, determination and creativity are all on display as she searches for the person ‘masked’ by illness and the inability to speak. Anne’s encyclopaedic knowledge, perfectionist drive and respect for clients and colleagues alike make her a very special member of the nursing profession.
Mary Tulk – Interior Health, British Columbia (2)
She works tirelessly to meet all of her client’s needs, going above and beyond on a daily basis for each and every one of them. She works with adults, children and pregnant women, helping them to manage their diabetes. On any given day you will find Mary in her office making telephone calls, or visiting one-on-one with clients, quite often during her lunch break or after hours. To top this off, after an extremely busy day she heads off to see clients in their homes for foot care. It is exhausting watching Mary as she never stops!! She is also a certified insulin pump trainer for the South Okanagan. All pump training is done on her own time. 2nd nomination: Mary is one of the hardest working people I know, and is extremely deserving of this award. She spends many hours counselling people with diabetes and helping them live healthy, happy lives. Mary is an integral member of the pediatric diabetes team. She is incredibly knowledgeable regarding this pediatric population and is always able to help the families work through the many issues that arise. She is often a voice of reason when dealing with the many teenagers in the program and a supportive listening ear for the parents.
Melody McGregor – Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
Melody McGregor is a sexual assault and domestic violence outreach nurse here at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre which means she not only a familiar face here at the hospital but also within the Thunder Bay community. While I am only an intern here at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation she made time in her day to talk with me after I had missed a presentation she had given in the community that I wanted to attend. She took the time to explain what her role was within the hospital and the community, how her patients are affected and she still now always has time to chat quickly when I pass her office in the hallway in the morning. She works tirelessly with the most vulnerable of patients with grace and care and still remains passionate to her values and personal investment in the community to educate those about sexual assault, domestic violence and how to get help. If Melody was unable to do this our region would be less informed, less safe and less reassuring.
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Sarah Baird – Peterborough Regional Health Centre
Sarah has worked in the ICU for six years. She meets all of the aspects of a Nursing Hero as she is committed, dedicated, compassionate, and a nursing leader. Sarah demonstrates her commitment to nursing by actively participating in the operation of the ICU. She is a member of the Critical Care Operations Committee where she has advocated for the implementation of strategies to promote patient safety and the implementation of evidence-informed nursing practices. An example of this was the development of the Oral Care Policy. Sarah conducted a literature review, researched current guidelines and wrote the Oral Care Policy that has been adopted in the ICU. Sarah demonstrates her compassion outside of her ICU job. She has travelled to Honduras for three consecutive years, at her own expense, with “Friends of Honduran Children” to provide nursing care for those who lack access to fundamental health services. Her comment to me was that “these people give [her] far more than [she] could ever give them” – this statement reflects Sarah’s humble attitude about the contributions that she makes on a daily basis.
Paulina Bleah – University Health Network
Within just 6 months of joining University Health Network as a nurse at Toronto General Hospital, 22 year old recent Ryerson U grad Paulina Bleah knew she wanted to do more. So Paulina set out to solve recurring practice issues. The number one problem she identified on her ward was incontinence amongst the geriatric population, so she set about determining how to arrest the issue. With the support of her colleagues and her manager Paulina researched and wrote a proposal to be considered for a research scholarship under UHN’s Collaborative Academic Practice Fellowship Program. The Fellowship Awards provide funding to worthy projects allowing health care professionals to develop solutions to practice issues and advance practice. Paulina’s proposal was accepted, and she set about looking for solutions by reaching out to patients, and her entire health care team. Paulina’s intelligence gathering allowed her to zero in on the issue of geriatric incontinence on her floor – and that led to a sustained change in practice.
Susan Hamilton – Saint Elizabeth Health Care
As the new leader of client experience, I like to travel with front line staff while they deliver care to patients, in order to better understand the work and needs of the staff and the clients. I spent the better part of the day with Susan and was amazed by her compassion, creativity, and humility. In one trip, I saw (and heard) of three separate stories where she went well above and beyond the call of duty. One story: Susan’s patient, living in a low income area, had bedbugs, and could not find anyone to help get a new mattress or rid of the old one. Susan brought her own air mattress to give to the patient, while helping her to locate a new one that she could afford and get assistance in removing the old mattress. I am constantly surprised by the hardwork, compassion, empathy and creativity of our visiting nurses and staff, but Susan really stands out for me as someone H who gives more. n www.hospitalnews.com