Job Description
I am a registered nurse working in Acute Care Medicine at Grand River Hospital. You see a wide variety of diseases/medical conditions (cardio, neuro, renal, ortho, oncology, metabolic, etc.) on medicine floor and lots of skills like wound care, Tube feeds, Tracheostomies, ECGs/Telemetry, IV insertions, Paracentesis, Foley catheters, Blood thinner drips, ostomies, blood draws, etc.
Other than the medical side of nursing, I also educate patients and families about various topics like the proper use of PPE, what are superbugs, update them on the patient’s care plan, advocate for patients in interdisciplinary rounds, and have discussions with infection control/pharmacy/dietician/physio/MRP, etc. regarding patient's condition. One of the important roles of the nurse is to provide updates to the health care team, to see how the patient is doing in terms of disposition, and if pt is safe to be discharged to the appropriate location like rehab, LTC, home, etc.
Other than providing bedside patient care, I also play an important role as a preceptor for students, orientate new nurses on the floor, and also the Unit Lead on the other days. As a Unit lead, you have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders from solving any issues that might arise during a shift, answering any questions from co-nurses/staff, and updating the admin/bed allocator on the discharge plans of patients to see if we have any beds available for other patients waiting in Emerg, other floors, etc. Nurses are the heart, eyes, and ears of the healthcare system and this entire system would collapse without nurses.
Relevant School Subjects
- Arts
- English
- Health and Physical Education
- Mathematics
- Science
Areas of Expertise
- Healthcare
Career Story
I went to Preston High School in Cambridge and graduated in 2015. Then I pursued my Bachelor of Science in Nursing from McMaster University in collaboration with Conestoga College and completed my studies in 2019. I started working as a Registered Nurse in 2021 and have been working in Internal/Acute care medicine since then. I am currently completing my Critical Care Nursing post-graduate certificate to transition into ICU. I plan to further my studies and become Nurse Practitioner one day.