“I came to this Emergency Department 28 years ago and love the work I do. It’s a place where you care for the person in front of you, your colleagues and the community around you.”

"I’m a clinical nurse educator in Emergency at Surrey Memorial Hospital. In Emergency, we’re used to thriving under pressure. With COVID-19, the usual pressures were compounded because many guidelines were changing quickly – infection control, PPE, Code Blue. Our team had to learn on our feet and adapt to changes daily and swiftly. As a CNE, my role is to make sure teams are informed about changes, listen to concerns and make sure they are supported in changing their workflow: what is safe to do and what isn’t. With the onset of COVID-19, we did simulation exercises almost every day. Teams of physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists went through this so we could identify gaps in practice and find ways to resolve them -- stat.

The team in Emerg is amazing. They run like a well-oiled machine. I take staff safety very seriously. For me, it’s like an ‘automatic on switch’ that powers me through the work that needs to be done. In my work, I’m most proud of the team. While they work hard to keep others safe, I see them pause to recognize others during this pandemic. They’ve made banners for housekeeping staff and raised money for the Food Bank. I came to this Emergency Department 28 years ago and love the work I do. It’s a place where you care for the person in front of you, your colleagues and the community around you."