Celebrating Allied Health Professionals

SUPPLEMENT TO THE FREE PRESS • SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2022 5 Celebrating Allied Health Professionals By Wendy King L et's make one thing clear: What- ever your age or stage of life, maintaining good eye health is a priority. It starts with a visit to an optometrist — an expert who provides primary vision care. "We are trained to diagnose and treat disorders of the eyes and visual system such as macular degeneration and glau- coma. We also measure prescriptions, prescribe vision correction options, and dispense glasses and contact lenses," says Dr. Cody van Dijk, optometrist. Dr. van Dijk is a member of the Mani- toba Association of Optometrists, the li- censing and regulatory body for optome- try in Manitoba. The association ensures optometrists meet the legal requirement for education and maintaining their li- cence to practise. He explains that while it provides advocacy and support for op- tometrists, it's also an excellent resource for reliable information and provides a "Find an Optometrist" search option at mb-opto.ca. "We always stress the importance of getting a comprehensive eye exam, even if you think your vision is fine," van Dijk says. "The most common causes of irrevers- ible vision loss — glaucoma and macular degeneration — don't have any symp- toms in their early stages but can be de- tected during that eye exam." At the same time, optometry is for more than prevention. "Manitobans can see their optometrist for emergencies such as red eyes, ocu- lar trauma, infections and new flashes or floaters in their vision," he says, "and we can prescribe antibiotic and anti-inflam- matory drops." If surgery is required, such as for cata- racts, optometrists can refer to an oph- thalmologist. It's important children get assessments as well. "Children don't necessarily know what their vision should be. They don't know from how far back in the classroom they should be able to see the board, and dur- ing early years, the font size on reading materials can be quite large, so some mild prescriptions that might become an issue down the road aren't showing symptoms yet," he says. "As children get older and do more reading, print gets smaller, and they're doing more work on the board — issues become more obvious." Symptoms of vision issues in children could be avoiding reading, not being able to read for long, skipping or repeat- ing lines when reading out loud, or head- aches. "It can also manifest as behavioural is- sues: maybe a child is acting out because they can't see the board and they're just frustrated and bored that they aren't able to follow along with everybody else," he says. Dr. Cody van Dijk says an optometrist can help. "Exams are recommended for children annually, as well as for adults with ocu- lar health issues such as diabetes, and those over 65 years," he says. "Everyone else should visit every two years." SEEING EYE HEALTH as a PRIORITY S UPPLIED PHOTOs RTs are also key members of teams managing the safe transport of patients between care environments whether for a diagnostic test, organ transplant or, for the most critically ill, to an intensive care unit (ICU). "We're bringing an ICU environment to ru- ral and remote areas of the province, sup- porting the transport of critically ill children and newborns without the backup of an en- tire hospital or other specialty disciplines," says Todd Mortimer, an advanced prac- tice RT (APRT) and member of the Shared Health Child Health Transport Team. "It's just us out there, so training together, plan- ning together and building a level of trust and synergy allows us to stabilize and bring that patient back safely." The Child Health Transport Team sup- ports neonatal, pediatric and adolescent transports of critically ill patients from across Manitoba. In this model, an APRT works alongside a transport nurse clinician during transports that could involve an am- bulance, an airplane or a helicopter. Both roles have expanded scopes of practice, al- lowing them to safely support critically ill patients during transports without a physi- cian on board. RTs are at the centre of adult transports as well, with a small, cohesive team of APRTs who make up the province's Inter- Facility Transport Team. The importance of planning, good communication and trust is not lost on the team's members, who rely on their training and skills to prepare them for al- most any situation during a transport. "As APRTs, we can manage everything from IV drug infusions, chest tubes, various types of catheters, managing the ventilator and monitoring patient vitals. Our scope of knowledge and training equip us to man- age nearly anything," says Vlad Snovida, member of the Shared Health Inter-Facility Transport Team. "We are active throughout each transport, trouble-shooting issues and providing care to keep our patient alive," Snovida adds. "It can be a high-stress environment, especial- ly because we provide this care in a tight space, surrounded by a lot of equipment and with the challenges posed by travel, like bumpy roads. It's very unique and dy- namic work, and I feel very privileged to be a part of this team." Allied health providers, like RTs and APRTs, work in every community, across the full continuum of care needs and across the entire lifespan of the patients they serve. "I enjoy the continuity of care. How in- tegrated RTs are to the team makes this such an enjoyable role. Our advice and recommendations are really valued here," says Reyhan Ozkahriman, who graduated just one year ago and now works as a vital member of the interprofessional team at HSC Winnipeg. "But the best part of our work as RTs has to be the success stories and our ability to witness the resiliency (in my work) of kids. We may see a patient who has been admit- ted to the ICU very sick and on a high amount of respiratory support and we get to be an important part of their recovery process, which is incredible." CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 From diagnosing and treating acute and chronic diseases, to promoting disease prevention and providing wellness programs to enhance our health, allied health professionals are making a difference in the lives of our patients, residents, clients and co-workers. Allied health professionals are essential to the delivery of nearly every type of care and recovery in our health system, and we are proud to recognize their positive impact and dedication to keeping us well. Thank you for all that you do. #EssentialToCareAndRecovery wrha.mb.ca Thank you allied health professionals. Sheila Cabungcal, respiratory therapist and member of HSC Winnipeg Child and Women's Health teams Reyhan Ozkahriman, respiratory therapist and member of the HSC Winnipeg Child and Women's Health teams Vlad Snovida, advanced practice respiratory therapist and member of the Shared Health Inter-Facility Transport Team Todd Mortimer, advanced practice respiratory therapist and member of the Shared Health Child Health Transport Team demonstrates intubation of an infant, a skill that team members maintain and practise regularly But the best part of our work as RTs has to be the success stories and our ability to witness the resiliency (in my work) of kids." — Reyhan Ozkahriman, a vital member of the interprofessional team at HSC Winnipeg

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