“In registration, how I interact with patients matters, even my body language. People are hurt; whether you’re a nurse or not, anybody in the hospital can make them feel better.”
"When you work in Emergency, you see everything. Once, a man with chest pains dropped in front of me. I pushed an alarm: nurses and doctors came running. He lived, but I don’t always know what happens.
In registration, how I interact with patients matters, even my body language. People are hurt; whether you’re a nurse or not, anybody in the hospital can make them feel better. I’ve learned many people don’t understand what Emergency is. They think if a walk-in’s closed, they should come here for refills, coughs and colds!
I’m yelled at a lot about wait times. One man threw his cellphone at me; I’ve been called every name in the book. I try to keep smiling. Some things take a toll. My mom passed away from lung cancer. Some patients remind me of her: a lady with lung cancer came with her daughter – that hit me hard.
I’m outdoorsy. My husband and I boat on Alouette Lake, hike with our Italian Mastiff, Kane. I played soccer 15 years – my dad was a Whitecap 50 years ago. I’m from a blended family of six kids; on my mom’s side I’m youngest, on my dad’s, second oldest – we call it a family forest, not a family tree!"
-- Tiffany Poelvoorde, ER and Hospital Registration Clerk, Ridge Meadows Hospital
Read more Humans of Fraser Health stories.