Podcast

When everything changes and now you’re the nurse.


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Resilience is defined as the ability to overcome adversity and grow stronger from an overwhelming experience. In the context of the nursing profession, increased resiliency has been shown to positively impact nurses in practice. With this knowledge, recommendations to incorporate resilience training into nursing education have been made.

Satvir Kaur, BScN, RN, MN is an internationally educated nurse from India who came to Canada in 2017 to complete her graduate nursing studies at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC. As a part of her graduate program, Satvir completed a scoping review on resilience in newly graduated nurses transitioning into the workplace. It is hoped that her findings from the review will support the development of workplace programs that facilitate successful transition of newly graduated nurses into the workplace. In this podcast, Satvir shares how at an individual level, promoting resilience has the potential to produce better patient outcomes.

The World Health Organization (WHO) designated the year 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.During this time, the emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) became a global event for which nurses had limited time to prepare before receiving an influx of high-acuity patients experiencing respiratory instability and other co-morbidities. Nurses, both novice and expert, truly displayed their power to advocate for their patients and demonstrated their profound sense of teamwork. It is fortunate that nurses, such as our guest Kim Scherr, is willing to share their individual reality of COVID-19 in a critical care setting. 

More about Kim Scherr, NP, Critical Care and Rapid Response Team Member.

“I have worked in critical care for most of my career, and have been a nurse practitioner for the past 24 years. My areas of interest have been critical care/rapid response teams, cardiovascular nursing and advanced practice nursing, and I have presented in those fields at many conferences and published several papers as well. I have worked in the Misericordia Hospital ICU for the past 12 years where I contribute to a collaborative interdisciplinary team providing care for critically ill patients. I am the Team Lead for the institutional Rapid Response Team. This team responds to calls from unit staff with the intent to initiate early interventions that prevent further illness and deterioration which could ultimately lead to cardiorespiratory collapse and the need for ICU admission. I am also a champion for the prevention and treatment of ICU delirium, and have been a member of national and provincial collaboratives whose goals are to improve long term cognitive outcomes for ICU patients. Currently I am working in collaboration with Dr. Elizabeth Papathanassglou from the Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta to conduct research on the use of integrative therapies (music, therapeutic touch, guided imagery, massage) in the prevention of ICU delirium.” ~ Kim Scherr

Be proud to be a HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL.

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A nurse seeking help when experiencing PTSD should not be viewed as personally weak, nor should expressing the challenges of stress be seen as dangerous to one's career.

Cecilia Yeung: “IT’S OK NOT TO BE OK”

Guest Cecilia Yeung, RN, has been a critical care nurse for over 10 years and currently works at Vancouver General Hospital in the Intensive Care Unit (VGH ICU). As a VGH ICU nurse, Cecilia looks after patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), those undergoing continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) or individuals with brain injuries who require intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring, as well as post-transplant and post-trauma patients and their families. This high pressure care is standard in the ICU population. Cecilia is also the founder of PTSD Support for Nurses. The objective is to promote self-care that can protect nurses from psychological injury incurred in the course of ‘doing their work’, which then can lead to stress, burnout, exhaustion, or post-traumatic stress. This program provides a judgment-free safe space for healthcare workers to de-stress and nourish their resilience. One of the initiatives is to provide frontline healthcare workers with someone to talk to when they have experienced something traumatic, as well as personalized self-care packages delivered to their door. Nurses can request these personalized self-care kits so if this interests you please reach out to ptsdhelpfornurses@gmail.com. Cecilia was recently recognized as a Business in Vancouver Forty Under 40 for her work with nurses; this recognition notes entrepreneurs under 40 who have demonstrated excellence in business, judgment, leadership and community contribution.

When adopting a trauma-informed approach to client care, the first steps are to RECOGNIZE what trauma ‘looks like’ and then ACKNOWLEDGE both its prevalence and its impact on health.

More about our guest Angela Achoba-Omajali BScN, RN, MN
Adigo Angela Achoba-Omajali, (she/her) originates from the Ibaji tribe in Kogi state of central Nigeria, situating her as a Black Nigerian-Canadian Nurse practicing in BC. Angela earned her BScN and MN degrees from Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops, BC where her graduate work focused on what we know about the experience of Indigenous women accessing the Canadian healthcare system for issues related to substance use and mental health. Angela has been working as a Registered Nurse for about 10 years, the past 5 years as part of the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program. This unique grassroots program provide services to clients living with complex mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Most recently, Angela has been temporarily seconded to a position as Steward-at-Large with the British Columbia Nurses Union (BCNU).

Angela’s passion continues to be at the point of engaging in research that addresses Anti-Black and Indigenous-specific racism in the healthcare system. Her lifelong committment to allyship positions her as uniquely qualified to advocate for anti-racism in BC and take action against Indigenous-specific racism and discrimination on multiple levels within the health care system.

Flight nurses work with a multitude of trained health-care professionals, including other emergency allied professionals, paramedics and physicians, to ensure patients are well-cared for during emergency transit and that they reach their end destinations safely.

More about our guest Thomas BScN, RN
Thomas has been a nurse for 13 years to date. He started his career with a brief stinti in oncology, moving to the Emergency Department (ED) after about 6 months post-graduation. Drawn to urgent care practice, Thomas trained in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nursing practice in 2011 and worked in both Coronary Care Unit (CCU) and ICU settings. He began his flight nursing journey with STARS Air Ambulance in 2012 and currently works a .75 FTE , filling the rest of his hours up working in the ED setting. As a flight nurse Thomas works to stabilize, transport and manage critically ill and trauma patients.

Travel nurses are an important part of the health care team because they help bridge the gap between SUPPLY and DEMAND in difficult to recruit areas. While working as a travel nurse is definitely not for everyone, it can be the adventure of a lifetime for some. It’s all about balance!

Kimberly Kidson: “Nursing is nursing, people are people, trust your practice and you can do this!”

Guest Kimberly, LPN, Co-owner/Director of Sympatico Medical Solutions Inc.
Kimberly wrote her biography from Kitimat in the Haisla Nation of British Columbia. She is a long-term visitor of the Shuswap and Heiltsuk Nations and would like to thank the people of all Indigenous Nations for allowing her to share her work. 

In 2014, Kimberly graduated from Sprott Shaw Kamloops campus, after completing the accelerated LPN program in 18 months. She has worked in various clinical settings including large urban hospitals, home and community care, she has taught practical nursing as a Clinical Instructor and travelled to small isolated communities. 

After receiving her interim LPN license, Kimberly first started working at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH) in Kamloops B.C. on 7North (cardiac/renal medical). She received amazing support and gained invaluable experience from the nurses, allowing her to work casually on surgical wards before accepting a full-time temporary line in the RIH LPN float pool. The float pool was Kimberly’s favourite position at RIH as everyday was a new day, a new ward, new patients and different co-workers. This is the position in which Kimberly felt she most thrived. While working at RIH she completed Code White Advanced Team Response Training, Cultural Sensitivity Education, Wound Care as well as Palliative Care education to enhance her professional nursing standards and practice. She utilized the judgement and experience that she had gained from RIH along with her passion for education and began teaching as a Clinical Instructor for Sprott Shaw College. Helping guide new practical nurses and setting expectations for excellence in care, seeing the desire that her students had for learning and developing their nursing practice gave her tremendous satisfaction. Together, these experiences prepared her for something much larger. 

Three years ago, she was introduced to “travel nursing” and wondered if this was something that she would qualify for. To her delight, it was! Travel Nursing opened up so many doors and gave her a desire to see more, do more, learn more, and to be excited about her work. At first, she was intimidated but just told herself, “Nursing is nursing, people are people, trust your practice and you can do this”. So, she did it, and loved it. She originally followed her passion for travel nursing in order to see the country and be paid along her journey, but soon realized the experience was more about the people she was meeting and the things she was learning along the way. 

While travel nursing, Kimberly completed various contracts, one of her favourite locations being Bella Bella, British Columbia working with the Heiltsuk People in the Heiltsuk Nation. The locals proudly proclaim: “Bella Bella, a place so nice they named it twice”. Nestled in the Central Coast's inner shores of Campbell Island, Bella Bella is a small remote Indigenous community known for fishing as their main industry. Bella Bella is isolated and has a weekly ferry service and charter flights to Vancouver. This quaint beautiful community provides healthcare through a local hospital to the community of 1400 people. R.W. Large Memorial Hospital is small but equipped with Acute Care, Long-term Care, ER and a Trauma Room which is used to stabilize critical patients prior to transferring them to a higher level of care in Vancouver. Nursing coverage is minimal and at times this means “all hands on deck”; this is where Kimberly has met some of the most amazing nurses and witnessed the most efficient care being delivered in the most critical situations. It was here that Kimberly found her passion for travel nursing began and where she was inspired to start Sympatico Medical Solutions Inc. 

Sympatico Medical Solutions Inc. is a Staffing Agency for travel nurses and allied healthcare professionals. The agency finds temporary and long-term placements for RNs, RPNs, LPNs, ultrasound, lab, X-Ray, MRI and radiology technicians. Travel nursing has existed in Canada for the past 30 years but has become more highly sought in the last decade. Most recently, the impact of the pandemic on remote communities has exacerbated the need of healthcare support. Travel nursing includes flexible schedule and vacation times, with wages based on demand and experience. At Sympatico Med, the leadership are Nurses too; they encourage nurses to live their best lives. 

As Co-owner/Director of Sympatico Medical Solutions, Kimberly and her business partner worked to acquire all the necessary operational permits and insurance as well as established professional connections with Provincial Health Authorities including: Northern Health, Interior Health, Fraser Health, Vancouver Coastal Health, First Nations Health Authority, the BC Ministry of Indigenous Affairs, Reconciliation, and Aboriginal Health. They currently have active contracts in Northern Health Authority and are negotiating with other Provincial Health Authorities in BC. Sympatico Medical Solutions is incorporated in all Provinces and Territories and is looking to expand services to the Northwest Territories and East across Canada. Kimberly’s time is spent hiring team members, reviewing and debriefing with employees, assisting with travel and accommodation arrangements as well as finding employee placements and creating assignment agreements with hiring institutions.

As BCs Indigenous majority owned Travel Nurse Agency, Sympatico Medical Solutions has a particular eye on cultural awareness and sensitivity in nursing practice. They advocate, and are recognized for quality nursing care across all levels of healthcare. Travel nursing offers UNLIMITED opportunities, professional development, paid travel and accommodation as well as opportunities to make new and lasting friendships. Kimberly is most excited to share her love of travel nursing and travel healthcare to other like-minded healthcare professionals.