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Vancouver Coastal Health
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Up next on our Year of the Nurse staff profiles is Caroline, a registered nurse (RN) working on three units- Spinal Cord Injuries, Acquired Brain Injuries, and Neuromuscular Injuries - at G.F. Strong. “The patients that I provide care for drastically vary in backgrounds and diagnoses from transplants to trauma, to cancer to burns,” she explains. “Developing that close relationship with patients in a rehab setting and seeing their transformation from day one of admission to their discharge date is what I love most about my job.” - As a RN, Caroline continuously cares for her patients in alignment to the VCH Values (We Care for Everyone, We are Always Learning and We Strive for Better Results). “Learning is something I do on the daily basis by balancing my completion of the Master of Science in Nursing program at UBC along with patient education when I am working on the unit,” she says. “I enjoy being able to translate the knowledge and research to my clients and providing them with the necessary education to help them attain their greater potential and independence. In every patient encounter, I put in 110% effort to strive for a therapeutic nurse-patient relationship.” - Caroline moved to Vancouver from Ontario last summer as a new grad nurse. ”Upon completion of the NCLEX exam, I started my career as a RN in the beautiful city of Vancouver,” she says. “While it was quite challenging to start a whole brand new life without the presence of my friends and family close by anymore, I am so glad for all the opportunities I have been presented with since joining VCH!” She has also adapted well to the west coast lifestyle, fully enjoying our city’s beautiful mountains and surrounding areas. “I’ve developed a passion for rock climbing, skiing, and cycle commuting since I relocated here.” - #YearoftheNurseandMidwife #NursesofVCH #rehabilitation #wellbeing #registerednurse #RN #Vancouver
From providing exercises and manual treatment to supporting postpartum recovery and clients with arthritis, physiotherapists (PT) play a vital role in the care continuum. Working with clients from all walks of life to instill confidence, body awareness and overall well-being makes the role of a physiotherapist unique – teaching their clients to continue helping themselves. - To wrap up our highlight of National Physiotherapy Month, let's hear from three Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) PTs working in Powell River. - Jamey Tozer works in home and community care and enjoys the wide variety of clients in a small town, adding that she often see his clients after work when doing errands in town. “Our client population is quite diverse in Powell River – with a high number of residents with chronic illnesses, a recent population surge of retirees and about 12 group homes. Add those factors to the north region inhabitants of First Nation peoples, oyster farmers and fisherman, to the mill workers of town, to the residents of Texada Island and you have a good representation of the types of clients we treat here." - “As physiotherapists working in a remote community, we're no strangers to problem solving and thinking outside the box and the current COVID-19 challenge is no exception," says Gemma Dickson, adding that the team is constantly adapting to new policies to protect their patients, residents, clients, our communities and ourselves. “I'm now doing video assessments and consults where appropriate with residents to help ensure residents continue to receive quality care." _ Natalia Brown (pictured) says adapting to new ways of treating clients during COVID-19 was challenging at first, but with some practice, became extremely effective. “My clients have been great at adapting to the new way of doing things and taking the responsibility for doing their home exercise programs," she says. - On behalf of everyone at VCH, thank you to our dedicated physiotherapists who are constantly learning and striving for better results – even during these challenging times. For always putting their clients first and finding innovative ways to deliver exceptional care.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many challenges for the intensive care unit (ICU) and respiratory teams (RT) at Lions Gate Hospital (LGH) being the epicentre of it in the region. The teams collaborated quickly with ICU physicians, Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC), regional partners and the local leadership team to implement quick and efficient ways to deliver high quality care to all patients at LGH, including those with COVID-19. - Surjeet Meelu, Program Manager - Emergency Room (ER)/Intensive Care Unit (ICU)/Trauma/Acute Respiratory Therapy at LGH tells us how the teams have all stepped up to support patients and their community. - The teams were fully engaged in developing strategies to support patients and families. With evolving practices to care for COVID-19 patients, they have adapted to daily changes in direction while delivering high quality care. - With support from the Coastal Emergency Operation Centre and facilities, maintenance and operations teams, the department quickly converted more rooms into negative pressure isolation rooms for patients. There were only three such rooms prior to renovations; now there are nine and it has increased the hospital’s capacity to support patients quickly in the system. - The respiratory and ICU teams run daily simulations around personal protective equipment (PPE) – donning and doffing procedures. The teams have also mapped out patient transfer pathways from the emergency department and between various units to prevent and reduce the transmission. - The teams figured out creative ways to keep patients and families connected virtually or by phone. Physicians are able to provide daily updates to the families of ICU patients. They have also partnered with patients at risk (PAR) teams to support the overflow of ICU patients and are thankful for the support. - Surjeet is very proud of the teams at LGH. “I work with brilliant, compassionate and caring nurses, RTs and physicians. I am grateful to be a part of this wonderful team.” - #LGH #NorthVancouver #patientcare #covid19
Did you know that Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP) are autonomous professionals whose work is highly routed in neurology and physiology? Their education focus is on anatomy and physiology of the brain, mouth, nose, throat, and related structures. Because of this focus, SLPs are true “pathologists” in both communication (speech, voice, language) and swallowing, in their ability to trace a client’s overt symptoms to neurological or structural causes. - This interesting fact was provided by Maggie, a Speech-Language Pathologist working for Vancouver Home Health. “It sometimes feels like doing detective work!” she says. “But what I enjoy most is working with adults in the community to support them and their families in understanding and managing swallowing and communication deficits that are either chronic or new conditions.” - Previously, Maggie worked in acute hospital and outpatient rehab, where she noticed that client’s performance in the clinic didn’t always correlate to performance reports from home. “I started to question if there would be more value to seeing clients in their “natural” environment, rather than in a clinic/hospital,” she explains. “When I had the opportunity to work in community, I jumped on the chance. Now, after this experience, I am a huge supporter of in-home rehab; using the client’s every-day environment to learn and practice new skills.” - Maggie incorporates the VCH Values (We Care for Everyone, We are Always Learning and We Strive for Better Results) with the belief that the minute we think we know everything, is the minute we stop learning. “I continually push myself to question and investigate things I think I know,” she says. “I strive for client-centered practice, as I believe client knows their body and needs better than any medical professional, so I try to pair client’s knowledge with scientific knowledge and research to achieve best results.” - #communicationawareness #SLP #BetterSpeechandHearing #SpeakWell #HearWell #LiveWell
Continuing our highlight of May being National Physiotherapy month, we recently caught up with Hedi, a physiotherapist working on the Personalized Support and Stabilization (PSS) team. - PSS is a relatively new initiative created to provide up to eight weeks of community/home support and “reablement care” to increase self-reliance and optimal functionality for the frail elderly. An interdisciplinary team of professionals work together to support people to safely transition from hospital settings back to their homes. - “In my role as a PT, I use goal-oriented activities to regain or improve a client’s independent functional capacity at home,” says Hedi. “I enjoy helping my elderly clients ‘get back on their feet’. As a community PT I love being on the road, out in the fresh air and having the independence and flexibility to plan my own day!” - Hedi has been with Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) for almost 25 years and a PT for 30 years in almost every area of practice except community. “The prospect of learning new skills and working with a new team excites me,” says Hedi. “I find that working with PSS has given me new respect for community physiotherapists. Also, the challenges I face in the community allows me to be creative, resourceful with a greater degree of autonomy,” she says. “Every day provides me with many new exciting learning opportunities.” - Hedi joined the PSS team about two months ago. “I’ve been on a steep learning curve adapting to my new role at PSS! Despite the challenges of COVID-19, I’ve found my orientation and especially the new virtual element of my training to be very thorough and in depth. When in need of additional support, I’ve also had the opportunity of reaching out to experienced team members in the community.” - #PhysioCanHelp #pt #PhysioMonth #Physiotherapy #community #PSS #VCHCareers
At the beginning of the pandemic, Richmond Hospital's Palliative Care Unit — home to some of Vancouver Coastal Health’s (VCH) most vulnerable patients — was temporarily moved to accommodate COVID-19 surge and capacity planning. While the team has now returned to their original location, they demonstrated incredible flexibility and dedication in providing exceptional care to their patients throughout it all. - We reached out to Lara Musa, Patient Care Coordinator and Educator in the Palliative Care Unit, to learn more about her experience during the pandemic: - ❓ What has it been like working in palliative during this time? What's it like on the unit? - ✔️ Other than the change in location, the unit has been functioning just like before. We continued to provide the same level and quality of care that we would have provided in our home unit: pain management, symptom management, psycho-social support, hospice transfers, support with grief and bereavement. One of our biggest challenges was finding ways to support our patients with the restricted visitor policy. We've had to find new ways to work help patients stay connected to their families virtually. - ❓What has it been like for the team and for the patients? - ✔️ We've tried to make the best out of the situation. We're lucky that our patients and their families have been so gracious and understanding during this time. - ❓ What has the team done to continue to provide exceptional care during this time? How have you been continuing to support this vulnerable population? - ✔️ We continue to provide multidisciplinary team support either in person, by phone or by Zoom. We're so grateful and fortunate to have received a tablet from the Virtual Health team, which has allowed us to provide with more opportunities to connect patients with their families. It also allows the care team to connect with family members as well for daily updates and family meetings. - ❤️ VCH sends a big thank you to the Richmond Palliative Care Unit for continuing to provide exceptional patient care during the pandemic! - #healthcare #Richmond #palliativecare #teamwork #covidresponse
👏The 7pm cheers mean so much for all healthcare workers. Let's keep it up!💕 - #Repost @lghfoundation ・・・ "Thank you for rooting for us, we hear you, we feel you. Let’s keep staying strong, healthy, safe and caring each other." -Noriko, Surgical Nurse at LGH
While our health-care staff lead the fight against COVID-19, there is a whole workforce of dedicated professionals behind the scenes building and maintaining the spaces in which our frontline staff and physicians provide care. - VGH's Facilities Maintenance and Operations (FMO) team is made up of 80 staff, including carpenters, mechanics, plumbers, painters and more, who have been working seven days a week to convert existing units into ones that can safely support COVID-19 patients. “We’ve been building COVID-19 units: changing an entire department over to negative air, and installing donning and doffing rooms," says Matthew Harraway, Senior FMO Manager. “We're completely restoring entire rooms – everything from receptacles and lights to fixtures, paint and more." - “We are using our skills to support our physicians and nurses as they fight this pandemic," says Matthew. “There's no better way for us to show our support than to contribute to the overall safety and wellness of our fellow co-workers." In addition to building dedicated COVID-19 units, the FMO team has restored and repaired over 500 beds, created showers, change rooms and storage for ventilators, and worked on the team to set up the alternate care site at the Vancouver Convention Centre, among many other projects. - “We rallied to do all we could to help the front line. It's a really empowering and positive thing for us," says Geordy MacLeod, Paint Shop Chargehand, whose wife is a nurse at BC Children's Hospital. “At first I was a bit apprehensive, but coming to work to make a positive impact felt better than sitting at home. Even on a day off, it feels weird not being here and helping.” The work that FMO does is not only vital for keeping the hospital running, but also for infection control. - “Infection Prevention and Control, has always counted on our FMO colleagues as incredible partners in our efforts to keep our staff and patients safe," says Dr. Titus Wong, Regional Medical Director, Infection Prevention and Control. - Thank you to all our FMO teams across VCH for all your hard work! We appreciate you all so much. - #VGH #FMO #Vancouver #VCHCareers