National Nursing Week

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2017 7 CONSTANT CAREER DIVERSITY NURSING: THE SKY'S THE LIMIT By Mike Daly / Winnipeg Regional Health Authority During a lengthy and successful career in health care, Lorraine Avery has seen a lot of changes within the nursing profession. PLAYING A CENTRAL ROLE NURSES ARE THE HEART AND SOUL OF HEALTH CARE By Mike Daly / Winnipeg Regional Health Authority As a relative newcomer to nursing with just five years under her belt, Nicole Hibbard may not have seen the amount of change experienced by her more 'veteran' colleagues, but she's seen enough to be sure of one thing: Nurses are central to the delivery of quality care. "Nurses are, I think, pretty much the heart and soul of health care," she says. "We're so important to keeping health care together." Hibbard works as a registered nurse on a neurological unit at Deer Lodge Centre, where she cares for people who have had a brain injury, stroke, or who have a chronic neurological disease such as Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). "It can be difficult to care for patients with chronic diseases," Hibbard says. "Their lives aren't easy and sometimes we're the only people they have. Their families can't be there all the time, and that's to be expected, so you kind of become their family when you work on a unit like mine." It's a demanding job that often takes an emotional toll. "I don't think people realize how difficult nursing can be," Hibbard says, "Sometimes my friends or family will say that my job sounds depressing, but I feel that I'm part of my patients' lives. As a nurse you have that caring and compassionate personality. I think the reward comes in being able to express that through your work in support of your patients, and in being there for them when they need you most. "As nurses, we are unrelenting in our care," she adds. In a constantly changing and increasingly stressful health care environment, the care she provides extends not only to Hibbard's patients, but to herself and her colleagues. "Sometimes it's very difficult for us to avoid that feeling of nursing burnout, which is why it's so important for us to work as a team," she says. "There are times where you feel like you are running on empty, but you try to avoid that by spending time with your family, laughing, exercising, or engaging in activities that help promote a sense of holistic well-being for yourself. "You also have to have a really good connection with your co- workers," she adds. "Whenever a nurse is struggling on our team, the rest of us are always there to help. We're never going to let them sink. As nurses, we try to take care of our own." For that, they often turn to a tool Hibbard says is as vital to nursing as a stethoscope: a good sense of humour. "If you don't have a sense of humour, you won't make it in nursing," she says, adding that the trait usually comes with the two other indispensable tools of the trade. "Caring and compassion have always been the cornerstones of nursing," Hibbard says. "You will acquire the technical skills to become competent and confident in this profession, but it's the caring and compassionate aspects of nursing that will always keep you connected with the fundamentals of nursing. If you lose those personality traits, nursing isn't where you should be anymore." ✚ "I've been a registered nurse for 30 years," she says. "Nursing has grown leaps and bounds during my career. There is so much opportunity and diversity, so many different areas in which you can practice. The sky is really the limit." In her current role as the Regional Clinical Nurse Specialist for the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) Cardiac Sciences Program, Avery is part of an interdisciplinary team of health-care professionals dedicated to improving patient and systems outcomes. "Really what I'm trying to do is to support nursing care, and help implement the best and latest evidence-informed practices at the bedside," she says. "The health care environment we live in now is a challenge. We have to maximize efficiency and resources while providing the best care we can. You have to be creative and innovative to help support that important work." Even after 30 years, Avery finds her enthusiasm for nursing has yet to wane. "I'm still really motivated and interested in what I do," she says. "The constant diversity of my role — it's never the same thing, it's always changing. What helps me is that we have a very strong leadership team in Cardiac Sciences; we're transparent, we communicate well with each other, and I feel very much supported. But at the end of the day, we're here for patients. They are definitely my priority." Avery says she is fueled by a desire to constantly learn and grow, by a thirst for knowledge, by her drive to excel at what she does, and by her ongoing aspiration to help others. "Patient care has become more complex," she says. "We've gone to an interprofessional, interdisciplinary model, where every health- care professional brings their own expertise and competencies to the table and all are equally valued. From an individual perspective, we're dedicated to improving health outcomes and improving the lives of the people we serve. I know I'm part of that work, so that makes me feel very successful." While Avery has no intention of retiring just yet, she does have some advice for new nurses entering the health-care system. "For new nurses, one of the most important things to remember is that nurses are viewed by the public as one of the most trusted health-care professionals, and that is certainly a privilege," she says. "We have an absolute privilege of being part of patients' lives, sometimes in their most vulnerable period. It's important to learn the scientific knowledge and to keep pace with the latest technology and research, but always remember that there's a human being on the other side, and that caring, compassion and empathy are really important parts of nursing." ✚ PHOTO BY NATASHA WOLOSCHUK/ WINNIPEG REGIONAL HEALTH AUTHORITY PHOTO BY NATASHA WOLOSCHUK/ WINNIPEG REGIONAL HEALTH AUTHORITY #YESThisIsNursing MAY 8-14, 2017 NATIONAL NURSING WEEK 2017

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