Member Spotlight: Justine Reyes

By: Kevin Champagne
Local 115 President
United Nurses of Alberta

Can you provide a little background about yourself? Where are you from, what brought you into the world of nursing and what did that journey look like?

 I was born and raised in Calgary.  My parents immigrated here 47 years ago.  As the story goes: they were on their way to Vancouver, and made a stop in Calgary, when they noticed that the hospitals here were hiring … and here we are!

I graduated from the University of Calgary in 2008, but had started working in AHS a couple years earlier as a HCA.  I’ve been fortunate to have spent the entirety of my nursing career at the FMC ICU, which I love.  When I applied to nursing I did not tell my mom, as she was the nurse of the family.  My mom only found out I went into nursing when we went in to buy my textbooks.  It was such a great surprise for her!  I recently completed my Masters, am still in health care and still enjoying it!  

 What was your Masters focus?

In two areas: my first focus was in teaching and education and my second focus was in health informatics and innovation.  I have always been interested in how nurses learn at the bedside.  During my time within the ICU I have seen the implementation of three different computer charting systems.  It is always so interesting to see how front line staff adapt – I wondered if (computer) systems could have been taught differently? There is an impression that we nurses don’t like or look forward to change (for example, with a new charting system), but the reality is that we haven’t been engaged or had any input into the program development, even though we are the ones that will be using it the most.  I think I waited to complete my Masters because there wasn’t a clear area of study for nursing involvement in technology.

 What do you do to maintain your mental health?

It is important to have people to talk to about how your day went.  Also to have hobbies that are unrelated to ICU.  My Masters program was a break from ICU and allowed me to disconnect from that environment.  My version of decompressing is staying busy with other things.

How has the charting changed within the ICU? Do you think the (Connect Care) improvements have helped to prevent liability?

 I feel that Connect Care will improve the charting in ICU.  The biggest change I thought was the “charting with exception” model. We are taught to chart everything in nursing school. In Connect Care, it is charting “within defined limits”. Initially, our charting will take longer as we are learning and understanding what these “defined limits” are.  It is also about learning where we find the appropriate places to chart, but as we continue to use the system, I know that this will improve.

How did you become a Connect Care Super User?

In the ICU they had asked 2-3 individuals from each team –people who they thought would enjoy or were familiar with computers. Previously, I have also taken courses on legal charting, which really supported my learning as a Connect Care Super User.

I was fortunate to have been able to work with individuals who had already gone through the Connect Care launch prior.  It was nice to meet other people from different areas that we would have never gotten to speak with otherwise.

 What did you take away from the implementation of Connect Care? 

Nurses need the opportunity to practice in context.  Providing nurses the opportunity to utilize the charting system in a practice/clinical area allows that individual to put their learning into context.  I noticed that there were a lot of staff who did not get the opportunity to practice in an environment that allowed them to safely try out the system.

The fifth wave of Connect Care launch was considered a success. Do you feel this is reflective of your experience?

It was a success!  There were lots of additional support staff available to help address the controlled chaos. The unit’s capacity briefly decreased to 30. The overall ICU team was open to the change in charting system and in using the “ticket system” to share noted deficiencies (and potential learnings).   It was good to be part of the fifth wave, as it had already allowed many of the “behind the scene supports” to work out the kinks in the system in the previous waves.

Walk me through a typical day as an ICU nurse.

My day starts at 0715h. Once we get our patient assignment for the day, I start by getting a full patient head-to-toe assignment done, which usually takes about 15-20 minutes.  Then you are out of the fire into the frying pan. By mid-morning we complete rounds, get the orders for the day, and plan for procedures and “road trips”. In between all of this, we fit in patient care needs.  The thing that I like about the ICU is that you are very busy with hourly tasks.

Does the ICU utilize a LPN model?

When I first started in the ICU, LPN’s were used to support complex dressing changes.  That has since shifted over the years. Currently we have three Health Care Aides as support per 12 hour shift.

During the height of the pandemic what were some of the changes in the ICU?

The ICU went from 33 funded beds with three overcapacity spaces to 70 beds at the height of COVID.  The patient-to-nurse ratio increased to 2:1, with patient acuity being much higher.  When COVID peaked, I was doubled with patients that were both on CRRT and on 3-4 pressors.  I was thankful for the helpers that had been redeployed to ICU, as I know I would not have had the time to even prepare the required drips and still get everything else done without their help. 

Can you share your thoughts on the role of the RNs that were reassigned or redeployed to the ICU?

I would say a big thank you (!) for coming and helping us out. I know a lot of you did not have a choice.  Thank you for being open to completing the difficult tasks we ask of you. Also, thank you for the camaraderie, we could not have done it without you! 

Now that COVID has settled slightly, I like being able to see the same redeployed individuals I worked with during the COVID peaks throughout the hospital and saying ‘hi’.

It was also amazing to see that many of the redeployed staff chose to stay and work with us here.  I can’t image a scarier time to learn in the ICU.

 What has been your experience with Agency nurses?

We had 6-7 agency nurses that worked with us. They get a full assignment, but they don’t take patients with advance competencies. If we didn’t know beforehand, we would have never even guessed that they were hired as agency nurses. We are so grateful for them, as they helped us not to be tripled. We actually did know that they were being paid more to do the same work, so as a result we lost a few staff to agency nursing elsewhere. 

Many Nurses have become aware of much higher salaries being offered elsewhere, and leaving for these positions can be both a tempting and tough decision to face.  What keeps you at the FMC ICU?

For sure the team I work with – I love my colleagues. They are super supportive, and we became very close during the pandemic.  There are also so many opportunities to learn and I enjoy the challenge.  I am currently looking for something that has less night shifts – I am starting to realize that the older I get, shift work becomes a just a little more harder.

What training would you recommend to help people feel prepared in the ICU?

It will depend on the background of the nurse. Many of our nurses that come from inpatient acute care units, emergency departments or PACU generally have a smoother transition into critical care, than say, those that have a community nursing background. Taking advanced certifications like ACLS and TNCC would make more sense only once you have been in the ICU for a period of time. It you have a good preceptor and have internalized your OPPACA (which is the provincial orientation program to critical care – something all new hires go through) training well, you will succeed regardless of your prior experiences.

 If you had the opportunity to speak to a new hire or a nurse interested in working in the ICU, what would you say?

I would encourage them to shadow on the various teams.  This allows you to meet the staff working on that team.  If a team isn’t a good fit, don’t be afraid to ask for a different one.  You will have to invest a lot of time to be/feel prepared in the ICU.

If you were able to go back in time and give yourself advice for your first ICU shift, what would it be?

It’s okay to cry. The ICU is an emotional place for people. As nurses we often try to emotionally separate ourselves from the patients and families that we care for – their stay in ICU is often the worst period of their lives. It is okay to be impacted by our patients, it is okay to be sad, but remember, it is important not to attach ourselves to that sadness. You can be sad about outcomes (which is natural), but in the end, if I know I did and tried my best for my patients and families, that is still considered a positive nursing outcome in my books nonetheless.

How can we address the health human resource crisis?

We have to make nursing attractive.  We also need to make educating, teaching and mentoring a positive experience – this creates an environment that allows staff to stay connected to the practice areas that they love.

In the next few years there will likely be many changes to the health system. What do you feel would be a positive changes for health care?

I would like to see more frontline nurses in leadership positions. I want to see nurses and the nursing profession making a difference and influencing provincial and federal decisions that are driving health policy.

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Member Spotlight: Jennifer Evangelista

By Kevin Champagne - Local 115 President United Nurses of Alberta.

Written March 2020

When did you become a nurse and where did you get to go to university?

I obtained my degree at the University of Calgary, and I was in the last conjoint program offered between the then Mount Royal College and the University of Calgary. Students were given the option on where they wanted to complete the final two years of the degree program. I chose to spend my remaining years in Calgary completing the program at the U of C, it was closer to home.

What made you decide to join the profession of Nursing?

My mom (Judi Curran) is a Registered Nurse (RN). I grew up watching her as she would leave for work and then return, always so exuberant and excited to be part of such a noble profession. The opportunity to witness her career progression was my inspiration. I was there to see her start as a student nurse. I was a part of her journey as she excelled in the various areas she was entrusted to work. I was always excited to hear her stories about what she accomplished during her shift and the positive impact it had on her patients. As I got older, mom’s stories about work and her amazing colleagues inspired me. I wanted to find out in what direction nursing would take me. I now get to help people in times of personal crisis and as I reflect on the lesson’s mom taught me, I know I am making a positive impact on my patients too.

Where did your mom go to school?

My mom is a Holy Cross Grad. The Holy Cross is where she did most of her training and years working. When the decision was made to close the Holy Cross, mom went to work at the Rocky View General Hospital and began working in their Day Surgery unit. Mom has since retired and finished her career working at Health Link.

Tell us a bit about your family?

I have been married for 10 years. I have two children; my daughter is 9 and my son is closing in on eight. I try not to bring work home all the time. Working at the Foothills Medical Center Emergency department means I don’t always have positive stories that I can share with small children. I do share my passion for nursing with them, and they are super curious. They have learnt that mom can’t share all the details with them. My daughter wants to follow me and become a nurse, and my son wants to become a police officer. My kids are always immensely proud and quick to share with their friends that I am a nurse.

Is the profession of nursing worth fighting for? How are the current systemic changes impacting your view on nursing?

I have a positive view of nursing and still passionately advocate for people to join the profession. What I would say to people struggling with the decision to join nursing is to remind them of the good we do, the positive we bring into the lives of patients we interact daily with. This is a career that allows you to travel the world and has so many exciting areas to be employed. The only limitation on what nursing can do for you is how you approach it.

Can you walk us through your personal journey in nursing to date?

In my fourth year of nursing school, I knew my passion was to work in an emergency department. I knew this field of nursing is where I needed to be. I did not get a practicum placement in an emergency department which was hard at first. I took the placement in the CVICU and Trauma unit as an opportunity to better myself and saw it as an opportunity to hone my skills to be ready to enter the world of emergency nursing. I also sought additional education opportunities at this time, completing my advanced critical care nursing diploma. My practicum placement helped me secure a graduate nurse position on the trauma unit where I was eventually hired as a RN. I didn’t let my dream go and applied for a position in the emergency department a little less than a year into my employment. I was so excited to be given the opportunity to take a position in the ER, my dreams were starting to take shape.

Things are never textbook when you work in an emergency unit and having the experience of working in all areas of the department has allowed me to face new challenges head on. During my time in the department, I completed the STARS academy and was faced with the tough choice to move to Grande Prairie to fly with STARS. I opted to stay, and I have never looked back, for the last 9 years I have been blessed to be one of the educators in the department.

Can you tell our readers about the Emergency department’s physical layout?

Our department has changed quite a bit over the years in terms of our capacity and footprint. We have an exceptionally large footprint currently. There are a total of seventy-nine beds and three trauma bays. We used to have 4 but with COVID we have taken a trauma bay space to allow an area for COVID precautions.

On average the department sees between 220 and 250 patients in a 24-hour period. With a close to 30 percent admission rate going into the department that leaves 70 % being turned over to community support and services.

The department is a level 1 trauma centre, the stroke centre for Southern Alberta, Cardiac Cath Lab centre and we have don’t turn any age groups away. Many people don’t know that we provide services to all ages. The scope of what we offer ensures we see a wide variety of illness presentations, and support Albertans when they are at their worst. We do what it takes to make them feel safe and well cared for.

How has the global pandemic impacted the department?

We are fortunate to have great leadership associated with our department. When the world was learning about global risk the department didn’t sit ideally. We started preparation and planning in early February. As a team we wanted to be ahead and prepared, it wasn’t an option to be playing catch up and chasing our tails.

Since the beginning of March masking for all patients, visitors and staff was implemented. Screening protocols have been put in place and the flow of patients presenting with COVID like symptoms is controlled in the department.

At this point all staff are well prepared. They have been receptive to the measures put in place and have expressed gratitude that the planning started so early. As a department we all should be proud of how we aim to protect each other and the patients we are trusted to care for.

What has been your biggest challenge as an RN?

Outside of COVID, protecting ourselves from workplace violence is the biggest challenge to any ER department. When patients come into the department in crisis they can be irrationally stressed and their responses to additional stimuli can result in patients acting out aggressively. I do find workplace violence increasing. I believe for the longest time nurses accepted this as a normal part of the job. This is not a part of the job anyone must accept and work together so we can change the workplace culture. AHS has great resources to support workers, and I encourage everyone to file MSN reports when experiencing violence. Violence doesn’t need to be a daily occurrence; we can learn to protect ourselves.

What is the best part of being an emergency room nurse?

The people we care for and my colleagues. I enjoy the support shared amongst all disciplines within the department. We all share the same drive and have similar thoughts on work ethic.

What do you do for fun?

I volunteer for the Calgary Stampede, and I am the chair for the parade committee. I also love getting outside with my kids and enjoy splashing around the water in Windermere.

Do you have a favorite book or movie?

Everything in my life right now revolves around my kids, but I do love watching cooking shows. I think I would be an amazing judge on a baking competition, I have such a sweet tooth.

What does being a part of a union mean to you?

I have reflected on this a lot and knowing that we have a collective voice to ensure our work environment is safe gives me comfort. The union is the voice of the nurses that keeps staffing levels safe and allows us to provide the care we are trained to deliver.

Member Spotlight: Connie and Kelsey Singer

Where does the family’s nursing story begin?

(Connie) We come from a long line of nurses, the first of which is my great aunt Vivien Tremaine who served in the first World War. The lineage continues with my mother Patricia Tremaine, mother-in-law Dorothy Singer, aunt Jeanette Tremaine, and cousins Vivien Webb and Lesley Andrew. It includes myself before trickling down to my youngest Kelsey. That makes seven nurses over three generations.

What is known about great aunt Vivien?

(Connie) Vivien Adlard Tremaine was my mother’s aunt. Her family name, Tremaine, is British in origin.
Our ancestors are from Great Britain and worked as land surveyors. She was born in Montmorency Falls, Quebec but was English speaking. She was among the first group of nursing sisters to voluntarily enlist in World War I in 1914 and sailed from Quebec City with the first contingent to Great Britain. She began her journey with mandatory war training at Salisbury Plains training camp before being transported to Fort Gassion (Aire-Sur-La-Lys) close to the Seine river in northern France near the front- lines. Fort Gassion was previously a very old prison which was converted to the No. 1 Canadian casualty clearing station. The men literally lived in the trenches and the nurses were taking in the wounded right in the midst of this horrific situation. She got pretty good at what she did and developed a reputation as a strong nurse.

Any surviving stories of Vivien Tremaine from the war?

(Connie) I recently connected with a man on a forum who was trying to find the nurses who looked after his uncle, Vivan Dixon, who was a Scotsman and would’ve been around seventeen years old at the time. His uncle had kept a diary of his time in the war and it mentioned Vivien by name. The gentleman was from England and when we chatted he quoted me some of the things in the diary like when his uncle and his uncle’s nurse Vivien were joking about the “bran pie” he had to eat to prevent constipation while on bedrest.

In October of 1915 she was summoned to care for King George V. She was promoted to matron at this time. King George V came to visit the troops on the front-lines at Flanders France. He was on horseback and apparently it was very muddy when he arrived. The troops cheered so loudly when they saw him that his horse reared up. He fell and the horse landed on him and pinned him, causing him to break his pelvis. General MacPherson, who was a surgeon, chose two nurses to care for the King, one being Viven. One would work the dayshift and the other would work the nightshift. The plan was to care for the King on the frontlines until they could secretly arrange his transport back to England. They had to keep it secret because if the enemy found out that the King was there and injured, they would try and kill him. So she looked after him for several days on the front-lines before they were transported by hospital ship back to England. Many of the hospital ships at that time were being bombed, several of them full of nurses and patients on board, but they managed to secretly get away. They got to Buckingham Palace and she stayed at least five weeks caring for His Majesty on the night shift. In a letter from Viven to her brother Trevor she wrote, “I was terribly anxious for some time till we were certain he had so serious an injury, but he was frightfully bruised, he was in a lovely old chateau in France and he stayed there till he could be moved in 5 days all the time worried of Zeppelins and German spies or something happening. I thought my hair would turn grey, you can’t have any idea of the responsibility”.

When did she return home from the war?

After caring for the King she she returned to the No. 1 CCCS field hospital in France until she was transferred to Granville Canadian Special Hospital in Ramsgate, Kent, England on January 7th, 1917. This location was a requisitioned Victorian Spa Hotel on the cliff top overlooking the sea and specialized in treating shell shock, nerve, joint and bone injuries. It was shortly after that she returned home where she did some supervisory work at what they call the port nurseries which were located in Halifax, Montreal, and St. John. These places received women, children, and babies that were being transported away from the war to keep them safe. Over 15,000 women came through the ports to escape the war in Europe. She would welcome these women, children, and babies into Canada and make sure they were safe, healthy, and got to a safe home. Canadian families took these women in and helped them integrate into Canada and to be safe until the war was over. That’s the one connection I see between Kelsey, Vivien and I is that we’ve all helped young mothers and their babies. After the war she was awarded with the Royal Red Cross medal, the Mons Star, and the Royal Victorian Medal. You can actually find the medals she received and the connection to the Canadian Red Cross seaboard nurseries online.

Did King George V ever reach out to her afterwards?

(Connie) He did. He came and presented the medals to her in Canada. He also gave her a private gift. It was a necklace that eventually made it to my mom. It’s really lovely.

What was her training like being so close in time to Florence Nightingale?

(Connie) I remember two readings about the expected duties of nurses back in the late 1800’s. One was the Florence Nightingale Pledge and the other a description of the duties of a trained nurse in those times. I imagine Vivien’s training in the early 1900’s would be very similar, ie; very strict in nature, upholding a philosophy of selflessness to provide the best possible care, and extremely hard work. Slightly before her time nurses were expected to sharpen the doctor’s quill pens, maintain the fireplaces, wash linens, clean rooms and fill the kerosene lamps, while balancing all the medical work. My mother trained at a catholic hospital in Montreal and her instructors were catholic sisters. They worked 6 days a week, only being allowed to attend church on Sunday, and starched the nursing supervisor uniforms as part of their duties. I watched my mom do shift work. She actually worked with some of the holocaust survivors at the Jewish General in Montreal. Florence Nightingale was woven within everything the nurses did from my great aunt Vivien to my mother, and her ethics continue with nurses to this very day.

It would appear there’s a family calling to nursing...

(Connie) The history certainly has had an impact. My mom really encouraged me into nursing. She did a lot of what they called “specialling” back then which was private nursing. She always said to me that nursing was a respectable job and a good long term career. She said it would be hard and that I’d hate shift work but that I’d do well with it.

(Kelsey) Both my grandmas were nurses. Both of my parent’s mothers and my own mom. I felt like it just ran in my blood. Like it was instantly part of me.

Tell me about your nursing education?

(Connie) I was born in Montreal and lived a good portion of my life there until young adulthood. Right out of high school I pursued a nursing education at John Abbot College in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue in Quebec. It was called CEGEP which stands for collège d’enseignement général et professionnel, which means general and vocational college. It was a two year diploma program plus an extra year which was the equivalent of a university year. I trained at seven different hospitals in Montreal in a number of different areas. My first rotation was in geriatrics at a veterans hospital. We were taught to have an immense amount of respect for these men because they had been through mustard gas and all sorts of terrible things. As we got into our second year we did pediatrics and obstetrics, and surgery later in the third year. The bonus to the entire situation was that me education was free. We only had to pay for our uniforms.

(Kelsey) I pursued nursing through Mount Royal University right out of high school. It was still a college but nursing was the first degree they offered and I attended the very first year the degree program was offered. My education was not free.

Where was your first job as a Registered Nurse?

(Kelsey) From nursing school I started as a grad nurse in children’s palliative care working at the Rotary Flames House. I started there as a health care aide, then got a job as a grad nurse, before writing and passing my CRNE and becoming an RN. It was a very challenging job to deal with the loss of children.

(Connie) My first job was in Ontario in the health centre of the Ontario Correctional Institute. The job was six months duration via a program called the Ontario Career Actions Program. Corrections was a very eye opening experience. Following that I jumped into a full-time position at the Mississauga General Hospital in the premature newborn nursery.

What brought the family from Quebec to Alberta?

(Connie) It was a romantic choice. I met my future husband Lee in Calgary. We carried a long distance relationship for a year then I took the plunge moving out west. The search for a new nursing job was easy. I had two offers in one day! One at the Alberta Children’s Hospital and other other in the NICU at Foothills. Pediatrics won me over. After seven years at the ACH I ventured over to a new position in postpartum at the Foothills Hospital, staying there for nearly twenty-five years to retirement.

Where did the interest come from in caring for babies?

(Connie) At that time it was what was available but my mother had a little bit of obstetrical experience which kind of trickled down to me. I always had an interest in pediatrics so I chose to work at the Children’s and I loved it. I worked there for seven years. Alberta Children’s at that time had clusters which were designated to different age groups and specialities. My first years there were very informative years in terms of learning and picking up new skills. Later as my family came along, I decided to go into obstetrics and started working at Foothills and ended up staying on Unit 52 in the post-partum and nursery area for almost twenty-five years.

(Kelsey) My mom was in postpartum at Foothills and I always had a relationship with the post-partum nurses. They kind of felt like family to me. So I applied and got a job in labour and delivery on Unit 51 at Foothills and have been there ever since.

Tell me about the nursing world of obstetrics at Foothills...

(Kelsey) Obstetrics is the umbrella term that covers our three main units including antepartum, labour and delivery, and post partum. We are the level 1 trauma centre which means we have to accommodate the highest acuity patients from all over central and southern Alberta. We take anyone who is high risk and under 32 weeks gestation. Although the job is often filled with joy and excitement, we also see some very challenging things and care for very sick mothers and babies. Unit 51 is our labour and delivery unit, which also has two operating rooms for both booked and emergency c-sections/procedures. We see young babies anywhere from 24 weeks and up. Unit 51 also houses two high risk beds specifically for patients that, prior to or after delivery, are in need of more extensive medical monitoring, like in instances of pre-eclampsia, HELLP syndrome, postpartum hemorrhage, or following a hysterectomy or other incase procedures. Previously we were only taking patients anywhere from 20 weeks and above in gestation. We have recently expanded to include 12-20 weeks if they’re cases we feel we can manage. Our antepartum unit is where I say we try and keep people pregnant. We also have private rooms available where we may care for early pregnancy losses and see them through postpartum as well. We take a lot patients who are pregnant with significant medical issues such as placental previa, organ failure and other life threatening diseases, premature rupture of membranes, gestational hypertension and diabetic management, major fetal anomalies, antepartum hemorrhages and much more. Some patients are admitted for a short period of time and others are there until they deliver. One of the typical ones we keep until delivery are monoamniotic-monochorionic twins, often referred to as mono mono twins. They share one placenta but have two separate umbilical cords and there is a huge risk of cord entanglement. Our job is to monitor them and their babies. If we have to deliver them early, we do it for them and their child’s safety otherwise we try and keep them pregnant as long as we can.

What is the best analogy you’ve heard to describe the physical experience of giving birth?

(Connie) Early on in my career an older nurse told me that being in labour is like playing four quarters of a football game without a break, in terms of energy and output. Then at the end, you deliver the football.

(Kelsey) People often use the comparison of delivering a baby to that of passing kidney stones yet I’ve heard people say kidney stones are worse.

What’s the average length of stay on the post- partum unit after delivery?

(Kelsey) A typical stay is two nights after a c-section free of complications. After a vaginal birth it’s one night.

(Connie) Back in the 80’s it was three days for a vaginal birth and five days for c-section.

How do nurses help vulnerable birthing mothers and those experiencing domestic violence?

(Kelsey) It is part of our nursing responsibilities to ask the birthing mother if they live in a safe place and are the victim of any domestic violence. It’s on our admission form as well. We ask the patient when they are alone and we do it every chance we get. They’ll hear it five or six times and it’s important because sometimes it takes thirty times for someone to reach out for help. It’s one of the things I wish we had more opportunity to address.

Looking back, if you could give yourself some advice as a young nurse, what would it be?

(Connie) To be more confident. Face your fears, tell yourself “I can do this”, and keep learning. A nurse with confidence in their abilities fosters that confidence their patients.

(Kelsey) Continue to learn, grow, and try new things. Have respect for yourself as part the team. You matter!

What is your favourite thing to do in Calgary and the surrounding area?

(Kelsey): Anything outdoors. My mom and I are hiking buddies and we thrive off of the outdoors. Nature never judges and I feel at peace when I’m outside. The fresh air, the birds chirping, and the sights put me in a comfortable place. I also volunteer for the Cochrane Humane Society fostering kittens. I also have an interest in tattoos.

(Connie) Our love for the outdoors is mutual and enduring. Living on an acreage just outside of Bragg Creek, next door to the Rockies provides great hiking, camping and winter sports opportunities. I am passionate about nature, photography and immersing myself in outdoor activities. These passions came mainly from family camping experiences, working as a canoe tripper at YWCA Camp Oolahwan in the beautiful Laurentians, Quebec, and two Outward Bound Canada wilderness courses. In retirement I am more active than ever enjoying back country hiking, camping and cross country skiing. I did my first 15 km Loppet this winter and remain actively engaged with the Outward Bound Canada organization. One of the greatest revelations from these pursuits has been the positive impact on my life and nursing career. They have provided me with great direction in life, improved self confidence, compassion, resilience, courage and some leadership skills.

What is your favourite restaurant/book/tv show/ movie/place to shop?

(Kelsey) The Coup. I’m a vegetarian with vegan habits. My favourite book is called The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F%&!. I My favourite old TV show is Friends and my favourite new one is Stranger Things. My favourite movie is Tarzan. I loved the music. My favourite place to shop is Lululemon.

(Connie) Swiss Chalet. Huckleberry Finn. Call the Midwives. My favourite movie is Oliver Twist. Fagan is my favourite character. My favourite place to shop is Atmosphere Sports.

What is the greatest challenge Nurses face in the workplace?

(Kelsey) Staffing, the lack of understanding from the government and other leaders of our experiences, and the expectations that are placed on us.

(Connie) I would like to see nurses not lose what they’ve worked so hard to gain. They need better staffing ratios and a greater respect for what they do from leaders.

Any words of advice for Nurses planning their retirement?

(Connie) You should start planning at least five years before your retirement date. Start crunching numbers as to what your personal needs are for your projected lifespan which is pretty good these days. Healthy people are living well into their 90s. Take full advantage of the Employer- shared RRSP contribution. Mark sure you’re signed up for LAPP and the benefits plan through ARTA, both of which are recommended by UNA and are a really good fit. Invest your money when you’re young because you need a portfolio for yourself to supplement your pension. Really communicate with UNA, HR and LAPP. I wish I had done the workshops like the pre-retirement workshop offered through the Calgary District Labour Council and the LAPP workshop offered by AHS.

Why is the union important to you?

(Kelsey) My mom got me involved by taking me to the AGMs when I was a nursing student. I’m grateful for the awareness I’ve gained for what the union does for us, how they support us, what they offer, and for their response when I’ve reached out personally for support. They are nurses fighting for what they would want as nurses. It’s a like a family with similar goals and desires.

(Connie) The support I felt the moment I stepped in to my first AGM was incredible. I realized how strong Heather Smith is and the executive group working with her are. They do so much to help us and their relationships with other unions are so diverse. It’s everyone working together as a strong formidable force to help protect us and give us better workplaces.

Member Spotlight: Tony Huynh

Tell me about your family...

My family is the Chinese ex-patriot community from Vietnam. My family came over from Vietnam as new immigrants and refugees during the Vietnam war. This was at a the height of communism after French colonial rule fell. My mom and dad were lucky in that they were able to come directly from Vietnam. Other family members weren’t so. My aunt had to flee Vietnam and ended up in a refugee camp in Hong Kong for 2-3 years until my mom was able to sponsor her over here.

What led to your interest to pursue nursing?

I started studying invertebrate zoology. I never thought of nursing until 3rd or 4th year into my zoology degree. Something just didn’t feel right. Looking back I think at that time I yearned for a profession that allowed me to be of service in a different way. That’s what really drew me to nursing; the human aspect.

Where did you go to school?

I applied to the University of Calgary Bachelor of Nursing transfer program. It was a two year accelerated program. At that time the program had two streams; one for degree holders and the other for non-degree holders. The difference between the two were simply the requirements (amount of credits, GPA etc). There was no real difference in the education. I began in 2012 and graduated in 2014.

Where was your first RN job?

At Agape hospice. I had selected Agape for my final focus and got a job there after graduation and my return from England.

What led to the interest in palliative care?

I knew I always wanted to explore end-of-life and palliative care. At times I’ve felt like end-of-life and palliative care has been underemphasized. It’s a very important aspect in someone’s life. As a labour and delivery nurse eases the transition of life into this world, so we in palliative care ease the transition of life into the next world.

What was of interest in England?

A monastery. I went to the Isle of Wight which is a tiny island off of the coast of Portsmouth. There’s a Benedictine monastery there, inhabited by 9 monks.

Why England? Why a monastery?

I had always wanted to travel somewhere after graduation, but I didn’t want to travel just for the sake of travelling. I was perusing through Chapters one day and came across and stack of books. One caught my eye called, “And Then They Were Nuns: Adventures in a Cloistered Life” by Canadian Author Jane Christmas. The premise of the book was about her exploring her journey of whether she was “nun material” or not. One of the places she visited was Quarr Abbey on the Isle of Wight. After reading the book, I couldn’t stop thinking about Quarr Abbey.

I looked up their website and saw they were offering internships for young people. I got in touch with the intern master, applied, and did an interview over the phone with him and the head of the monastery called the Abbot. Two weeks later I was buying my ticket over to the monastery. I stayed for two months and recently returned in the spring from a three-month trip.

What is a Benedictine monk?

Benedictine monks are an order of Catholic monks.

It originated from St. Benedict, the father of Western Monasticism. St. Benedict was a monk in Italy who lived in the city and felt a calling to have a deeper life of silence and solitude. He ended up leaving the city and going out into the wilderness as many monastics do. He founded this order of monks in the catholic church that has continued to now.

Are there rules to becoming a Benedictine monk?

I’ll highlight two major ones. The whole way of life of the Benedictine congregation is set out by what is the rule of St. Benedict, which he wrote ages ago, which specifies how they live day-to-day. It identifies at what time they have to wake up for communal prayer, how they approach silent prayer, things like that. When someone professes to become a Benedictine monk, they have vows attached to their profession. The vow of stability, the vow of obedience, and the vow of conversion of life. Stability meaning set and stable to one community, in one location, in one monastery for the rest of their life. Obedience meaning becoming obedient to the Abbot. Conversion of life meaning a vow to poverty, chastity, and things like that. It’s a whole change of life, attitude and perspective.

What was the internship like?

The premise of the internship program was to provide young men with an opportunity to experience the monastic life and to get a better enrichment of the spiritual life. There were four of us. We lived the monastic life as best as we could. We attended prayer services seven times a day, did manual work, and went to conferences facilitated by the monks aimed at providing spiritual direction.

Tell me about Unit 47...

It’s a roughly 29 bed palliative short stay unit called the Intensive Palliative Care Unit (IPCU). The average length of stay is approximately a week or so. We specialize in helping patients with difficult to manage symptoms such as pain crisis, intractable nausea, etc. Many of our palliative patients are under a palliative care attending physician but we also see patients from a wide variety of services. It’s a common myth that patients have to be actively dying to be admitted to the IPCU. I find that when people hear the word palliative care at once they begin to think of end-of-life care or actively dying. Palliative care actually begins when we’re born. It’s a philosophy and something that can be done within and outside of end-of-life care. Of course we do palliative care towards the end of life phase and many people die on the unit, but we do transfer a lot of patients home and to assisted living, LTC, and hospice.

How is the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program being utilized on Unit 47?

MAID has only been a recent addition to our unitand we have yet to experience a patient undergo the final provision of the MAID program on Unit 47. Having it as an option for patients on Unit 47 helps those familiar with us and with the environment, experience the provision in a place they’re comfortable. In the months leading up to MAID becoming official on our unit, the staff were provided good education sessions. Everything from ethics and processes, right through to spiritual care. In the months leading up to the introduction of MAID, our management team asked everyone on the care team how comfortable they were with the process just to be aware of how everyone felt about the provision so as to plan sensitively when it does occur.

What do you like to do in Calgary in your spare time?

I keep up a very regular meditation practice thankfully to my experience at the monastery. I’m an avid baker of sourdough bread, I like to knit socks, and I love doing ceramics. I appreciate how close we are to nature and how forgiving our weather can be despite the snow.

I love running along the Bow River and love checking out the new food scene. Japanese cuisine and bubble tea is big these days. We have really good middle eastern and Lebanese foods in Calgary as well. The food scene is very diverse.

What is your favourite movie? TV show? Author? Place to shop?

I really like the new Mr. Rogers documentary called “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”. The Simpsons is my favourite show. As strange as the humour can be sometimes it is very very witty. I read mostly non-fiction but my favourite author is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with his Sherlock Holmes series. My favourite place to shop is the Market Collective.

Talk about your participation with Local 115 at the Calgary Pride Parade...

As someone who is part of the LGBTQ community, and as someone that’s experienced discrimination, it is beautiful to have something like the Pride Parade. Having something concrete to identify with is really quite affirming, however one’s identity is multifaceted; what is part of me isn’t what is all of me. The Pride Parade is an event that rings very true to my heart and I couldn’t be happier to be involved.

Why is the union important to you?

A teacher told me that as a nurse there are four major things we’re called to do in our profession. To remember we’re an instrument in healing, to provide care and support, to educate, and to advocate. I take advocacy for my patients very seriously. The union advocates for us as nurses so that we have what we need to advocate well for our patients.

For more on this Member Spotlight please check out our UNA Local 115 Newsletter.

Member Spotlight: Alanna Rutherford

Where did you go to Nursing school and where was your first job?

I went to nursing school in Queens in Kingston, Ontario. During school, I went to England one summer to work and stay with family. I loved it so I started going back for Christmas’, school breaks and summers. I had pretty much moved there during nursing school. After I graduated, I moved there permanently but I couldn’t work as an RN because I was told I needed a year’s worth of full-time RN experience in Canada before they’d give a me a nursing license. I worked as what was called a Senior Health Care Aide. It’s similar to an LPN role except we cannot give medications.

What brought the family to Canada?

My mother came to Canada for university and that’s when she met my dad. Our family moved to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. I left for university and my family moved to Saskatoon after I left. My sister moved to Calgary to study criminal justice at Mount Royal and my brother became a pharmacy assistant. When I returned from England, my family was in Calgary, so I stayed.

Where was your first Registered Nursing job?

In a rural hospital in Drumheller. At the time there was a hiring freeze. I kept applying and was fortunate to get a job on Unit 32 at FMC. As it frequently happens on Unit 32, someone from Unit 21 called and asked if we would come down and start an IV. I started talking to the nurses and saw how much they liked working mental health. I sent the manager an email and was called for an interview. I began working casually until a line came up and I got the job.

What was it that led you to choose nursing as a career?

Both of my parents worked in environmental public health. They worked closely with public health nurses. When my mom explained to me the role of the public health nurse, I was surprised to learn that nurses worked outside of the hospital. Funny enough I ended up working as a nurse in the hospital.

Tell me about Unit 21?

It’s an adult inpatient psychiatric unit. We tend to get the more acutely ill patients just because we have the capacity to take them. Patients are under the primary care of a psychiatrist. Care planning is primarily focused on managing behaviour. The high observation rooms are for individuals that cannot co-habitate. We trial them on unit and are hopeful for a successful reintegration. A trusting relationship between patients and staff is vital.

What do you like most about where you work?

I love hearing people’s stories. My job is to sit with them and get to know them. In medicine I rarely had the time. You establish a relationship with your patients. I’ve always loved mental health. I just found it super interesting. The skills I’ve gained from mental health are phenomenal. The environment I work in is fantastic. I feel supported by my management team. I can approach them with questions or concerns at any time. I like going to work.

What do you like to do for fun?

I do Capoeira. Capoeira comes from Brazil and it’s a great close-knit community. When I moved to Calgary I didn’t know anyone. I wanted to try something new to get in shape. I just turned up to a class one day and fell in love with it. I just went to a Capoeira event in Hong Kong last year. I don’t compete but I do participate in seminars. They bring instructors in from all over the world.

Why is the union important to you?

The union provides us with a sense of protection. It’s nice to know I have a place to go if something isn’t right or if I have a concern about a patient, mismanagement, or bad practices. The union is our advocate and protects our wages and our jobs. Without them who’s to say someone wouldn’t try to have us replaced.

For more on this Member Spotlight please check out our UNA Local 115 Newsletter.

Member Spotlight: Viola Routly

Where did you grow up?

I was born in southern Alberta in a small town named Carmangay. We settled in Champion. My dad worked in the oil patch managing the fields, so we moved a lot. We left Champion when I was 5 and much of my extended family were still there so we never lost touch with that area. We were everywhere from northern Alberta to southern Saskatchewan. We didn’t like the north at all, and my dad stayed in the oil industry before getting a different job and coming to Calgary. I landed here with my parents and sister when I was 14.

What brought you to Calgary?

My sister got sick, and we had to come to Calgary for her treatment. We moved to Happy Valley which was a big entertainment campground complex and is now Valley Ridge. It used to be two large campgrounds and a golf course, restaurant, mini-golf, go-karts. My dad started working security and ended up managing the complex. I worked there as well. That was my summer, winter, morning and evening job. I guided trail rides and had a business running hay rides and sleigh rides. I can harness, hitch and drive a team of horses. I was also the voluntary first aid responder. If there was an injury they’d say, let’s go get Viola.

What led to your interest in nursing?

I was 6 years old and in grade two when I was asked by my teacher what I wanted to be when I grew up. I told her I was going to be a nurse. My family has always been a helping group. My dad drove an ambulance for a couple of years in southern Alberta. My great grandmother was a midwife. She delivered a hundred-and-something babies in southern Alberta. In those days midwives did not just deliver, they moved in with and looked after the family so that the mother could rest, bond, breastfeed, and generally get settled. My sister passed away of Ewings Sarcoma three years after moving to Calgary. I thought I wanted to be a pediatric nurse after everything we went through, and my dad told me to wait until we had recovered. It was really good advice. I might not of been able to tolerate a hospital environment right away. I waited to start nursing until I was 26. I went to Mount Royal.

Where was your first job after graduating nursing school?

I did two tours in school in neuroscience at the Calgary General Hospital and they hired me right out of school. I told the manager I wanted to work casually just to get my feet wet and my manager said no no no no, it’s much better taking a position and just getting in there and doing it. I learned later that their primary motivation was to fill vacant lines, but they were quite right; working full time helped me learn my job.

When did you obtain the role of Nurse Clinician?

When they found the space at Northland, FMC was once again falling out the windows. The current Nurse Clinician wasn’t interested in opening another unit. She had been the sole clinician working to establish the other sites and I believe she kept our program glued together through all of it. I don’t know how she did it. She liked her job and didn’t want to move so I applied. I was hired two weeks before the unit opened so I could gather up patients and get things organized. It was June of 2005. Sunridge opened a year after us and the Fanning was last.

Talk a bit about your role as a Nurse Clinician at Northwest Hemodialysis?

As the Nurse Clinician I’m the charge nurse and clinical leader and I liaise with the rest of the Member It’s all outpatient so we do a lot of community type work. I monitor the schedule and designate patient assignments based on skill mix and experience. We have a whole interdisciplinary team and it’s my job to refer them when appropriate. Our empathy project is based on symptom management and is about how to involve patients, draw key information, and apply it to their care. We have questionnaires and provide education on things like sleep hygiene or itchiness. We have a “K” protocol to help manage potassium within a certain range. We have the amputation prevention project which is aimed at providing quality foot care. We utilize a patient rounds tool which is used as a nursing communication tool and to help guide conversations with the physician. It succinctly condenses information in one place so we can determine what the patient needs and it better utilizes the physician’s time. It ensures continued and timely follow up. Our clinician team meets once a month at FMC on Unit 27. The clinicians in the outlying areas join by Telehealth. It fosters program collaboration and minimizes isolation.

Why is the union important to you?

I am a nurse. That’s all I am. I happen to be registered right now but I will never not be a nurse. Patient centred care has been the nursing philosophy since Florence Nightingale. As nurses, we don’t exist without the people we care for and I don’t think we can do our job without a union. We are required to advocate for our patients within a very large system. We need a feeling of safety that we’re not putting our careers and families at risk by standing up for the patients. We can be advocates because the union advocates for us. Without that support we can’t do our jobs. Because the union has an agreed upon contract that we are to stick with, everybody knows the rights and responsibilities of the roles and can hold people to them. It’s a common language. Heather Smith is a strong leader. I’ve read her articles and listened to her during contract talks. She keeps a clear vision on what the union wants to accomplish. I think she has taken our union from a novice and indistinct group to a strong, consistent and competent organization. I’m with her.

For more on this Member Spotlight please check out our UNA Local 115 Newsletter.

Member Spotlight: Neil Hermanson

Where would you say you’re from?

I’ve spent time all over western Canada. I was born in Prince Rupert, B.C. where is seems to rain 370 days of the year. My dad worked for the railway which led us to northern Manitoba. He eventually transferred into the oil fields, and we ended up in the Lloydminster area. Te first big oil bust happened in ’86 and that was when my dad got involved in natural gas which brought us down to the Lethbridge area. I finished high school in southern Alberta.

Tell me about your journey into nursing school.

I ended up in Fairview because I didn’t know what I was doing. I applied to nursing school in Grand Prairie and got shut down. I pumped gas and went to the college and upgraded some courses. Te following year my mom and I applied at the same time, and she got in as a mature student. I was put on the waitlist at like two-thousand-and-something, so I decided at the last minute I would do what kids call a pre-med program. I ended up in my second semester knowing I didn’t want to be a doctor; I wanted to be a nurse. The next year I got accepted three weeks after the program had already started. My mom was in her third year, and they said, “oh your mom can help you out with your first-year stuff”. I tried my best that semester, but I started too far behind, and it just didn’t work. It was a sad moment for me and the program director. I went to Mexico for three months to volunteer work which didn’t play out as expected but I met some really interesting people and had a great time. Most importantly I came back with the determination that I was going to be a nurse. I applied the following year, got in, and the rest is history.

How did you come to be in the ICU at FMC?

I returned to Grand Prairie about two-and-a-half years later working in the hospital as a medical float nurse for the entire site. This led to experiences covering in PACU and the ICU where I show up and have no idea what I’m doing. It was a great exposure but there was no theory; no background. Talk about sympathetic overdrive. I remember asking what the difference was between anterior and posterior. They didn’t have the resources. You couldn’t just call an expert to ask what’s going on. Another nurse I worked with was introduced in the same manner. We were both terrified. We were constantly asking questions and depended on each other for support. That was my introduction to the importance of relationships in managing critical care situations. In 2000, a friend of mine worked in the ICU at the PLC and introduced me to the manager. Our house in Grand Prairie sold in two weeks and we moved to Calgary. I worked there for 5 years before taking a position in Aphaeresis at FMC where I stayed for a year before starting part-time in the ICU.

Tell me about the ICU at FMC.

There are three teams separated into pods A, B & C with a total of twenty-eight funded beds. Pod A is medical surgical, B pod is primarily long-term patients, and C pod is neuro trauma. A typical day is twelve hours with three head-to-toe assessments and multidisciplinary rounds which take approximately 30-45 minutes per patient. We adapt patient treatment based on orders from rounds and provide frequent updates to family. We help each other with stabilizing unstable patients and spend time mixing new infusions through ongoing basic care. We are primary nurse in ICU but we team primary nurse. The more experienced nurses use every opportunity to pass down their knowledge. If I mentor a junior nurse really well, when I end up in ICU as a patient, I feel good knowing they know how to provide me with the best care. I support less experienced colleagues because someone did that for me.

What special certifications or skills best prepare a Registered Nurse to work in the ICU?

The best preparation for the ICU is a strong background in medical or surgical nursing. Time on neurosurgery and trauma surgery floors helps immensely. Pharmacology and ECG interpretation, temporary venous pacing, central and arterial line use and care are some of the entry level skills obtained in orientation. Later comes training with pulmonary artery catheters, continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT), advanced trauma care, burn care and Code Blue. It›s always good to have ongoing education in trauma, burns, sepsis, organ failure and care for organ donating patients. After some time, charge and outreach training may be available.

How do RNs working in the ICU cope with the stress and emotions that accompany the most acute department in the hospital?

I remember the experience of my first patient death in the ICU. I had a conversation with the patient where they said that if/when they became ventilator dependent, to give them something to keep them comfortable and allow them to pass. They were directing their own care. It was empowering and beautiful in a really weird ICU way. The family was there, and we were supportive through the patient’s passing into the next state of their existence. That’ll stay with me forever. You can start to ask yourself things like, is this affecting me somehow? Am I becoming immune to the human condition at the end of a patient’s life? Do I have the ability to be emotionally connected yet professionally distant enough so I can deliver the best care to the next patient? Including family in the care of their loved one is critical. They are the experts on who this person is. I let them guide me. I tell them what I’m going to do and how I can help their loved one. It’s a relationship that seems a simple thing but is vitally important. A healthy work-life balance is also extremely important.

What do you like to do in Calgary in your spare time?

Bujinkan. I’ve been training since 1998. It’s a Japanese martial art based off of nine curriculums in a combination of ninjutsu and bujutsu. There’s lot of weapons training. There’s also an aspect of bujinkan called taijutsu, which is like the grandfather of jujitsu which came from China which came from India. It’s interesting to see how it travelled. It’s good for the mind and body. I enjoy being the student. I also like restaurants and live music. I recently saw Metric and July Talk at the Corral.

What’s your greatest challenge in the workplace?

The rapidity of change. I’m having to learn to let things flow and come as they happen. I like to have my finger on the pulse, and I like things to be perfect but it’s not always possible. I’m learning that some things take longer and that we can adjust as we go along. I don’t like jumping in with both feet and wondering what fluid I’m standing in.

Why is the union important to you?

The union gives us good protection for us to do our job and allows us to earn what we’re worth. It helps us understand and navigate a massive profession. Last AGM they were talking about how far we’ve come in the last 40 years. It was really good to look at where we started and where we are today. The horizon is limitless with UNA when we continue to improve upon healthy communication with AHS.

For more on this Member Spotlight please check out our UNA Local 115 Newsletter.

Member Spotlight: Damion Bennett

Tell me about your nursing experience in Jamaica...

I was working in Jamaica at the University Hospital in West Indies as a Critical Care Nurse in the CVICU and general ICU. It’s a heavily funded, part private part public facility. I also had a full-time job as a Nursing Educator as well. I worked a 0.7 in the ICU and a 1.0 as an educator. I worked every weekend on Friday and Saturday nights, twelve hours shifts. It’s a funny story but when I applied for my license to come here, CARNA’s RN consultant sent me an email asking me to clarify my hours because I was working so much. I also did some volunteer military service in Jamaica as part of the reserve forces. I didn’t have children at that time. At that time my wife was working a full-time job in the same ICU that I was working and was teaching part time too. We were young and living a high intense life. At the same time, I was involved heavily in the nurses’ union, the Caribbean Nurse’s Organization, by volunteering for anything to do with the ICU. I finished my master’s in education in 2013 at Walden University in Minneapolis.

How did you end up coming to be in Calgary, Alberta?

I never had Calgary in my mind. My parents are both Jamaican, but my dad went to Chicago and said we should come check it out. I had been there before and wasn’t sure I wanted to go back. My dad insisted that I get my nursing license and go there but I wasn’t convinced. My wife suggested we try Canada. Canada at the time had a skilled workers program. They were basically recruiting professionals. My wife was in the program and decided that we should go to Canada. My wife was researching the best places to live in Canada, and we picked Calgary. I love it here man. It’s my home.

What is the greatest challenge in the workplace today?

People not being as real as they ought to be. Both patients and staff. Racism here in Canada is subtle. People say one thing to your face and another behind your back. I want to bring awareness to challenges that minority nurses face in the workplace. People are of the notion that it’s all sunshine and rainbows and there’s a denial that problems exist. I need to stand up, pull my shoulders back, and use my voice. If you see a wrong and you fail to identify and call it wrong, you’re worse than the person doing it. It enables and allows the behavior to continue.

Why is the union important to you?

The union is a very emotional topic for me. I have a license because of UNA. I have a career because of UNA. I knew UNA was here but didn’t understand the depth that they were involved in nursing and in life in Canada. UNA and my management team at Rockyview supported me at the time when I needed it most. They gave me an opportunity and a life within nursing in Canada. That life is not just mine; it’s my family’s, my children’s, my wife’s.

For more on this Member Spotlight please check out our UNA Local 115 Newsletter.