May 10th – 16th is National Nursing Week. We are honoured to pay tribute to this dedicated group who has such an enormous impact on the people in our communities. Every nurse has a unique story of what brought them to their career; family, personal experience, lifelong goal … Whatever their reason, not one of them likely foresaw the vital role their profession would hold in combatting a global crisis. Yet today, every one has stepped up. It is our nurses who are shining brightest during this pandemic.
Few outside the profession can fully comprehend the effects the pandemic is having on nurses at Southlake. Whether or not they are involved with COVID-19 patients on a daily basis, the atmosphere is one of “all hands on deck all the time” for everyone.
Every patient at Southlake, either touched by the virus or not, every family member having to interact with their loved one by video instead of in person, every clinical specialist treating patients – the constant they all have is the devotion from Southlake’s team of passionate and caring nurses. “Caring for our patients has taken on new meaning during COVID-19” says Abby Laamanen, RN. “It’s been heartbreaking to see people separated from their families when they need them most. And so, we do everything in our power to keep them as connected as we can.”
As part of their education, nurses undergo a tremendous amount of training that has helped them meet the demands placed on them. But training can only go so far. It is the passion of Southlake’s nursing staff that is fueling the tremendous response Southlake has demonstrated during the past year.
“Nurses are notorious in the profession for putting themselves second and patients first,” says Yvonne O’Reilly, RN. “We see the strain on everyone – everyone’s tired. Even putting on all the extra PPE is a lot of work and very tiring. But as a nurse, it’s not going to change the care we give our patients.”
“Being able to make a difference in someone’s hospital stay is what I love most about my work,” adds Abby. “No one plans to be in hospital right now, and trying to make the experience as positive as possible, give them the best possible care and make a difference for their families, that’s the very best thing we can do.”
At the end of the busy, busy day, most nurses will tell you they don’t think they would ever want to have any other career. For everything they do every day, we owe them a debt of gratitude.
