DECRH ED nurse shares experience caring for vulnerable patients with Canadian Red Cross
A welcome note from the editor
Arriving at the field hospital I was always so moved to see the kites – made of torn bags – flying in the sky. Many children have been orphaned as a result of the ongoing conflict. It always put a smile on my face to see some of the children still found time to play and just be kids. During the day my time would be spent juggling Triage, the needs in the Emergency Rooms, as well as coordinating patient flow and ambulances arriving with patients. The days were long, and the hours varied depending on how many surgical cases we might have and what emergencies might present. One of the big differences is the demographic; the majority of those being treated are women and children who are weapon wounded. Though it is such a different environment, there are similarities, too. Most notably I would say the assessment process, whether in Canada or at the field hospital in Syria are similar. I would meet with the patient, take record of their symptoms and injuries and recommend next steps. As well, another similarity was the close collaboration with doctors to provide patients with the best possible care. Share one of your most heartwarming interactions with a patient. I was very fortunate to have met so many inspiring individuals during my time in Syria and was specifically moved to see the resiliency and hope in so many of the children we treated. The majority of people living in the camps are women and children, and an interaction with one young boy stands out to me from my time there. I remember the day one of our little guys, who had suffered a weapon wound and had been coming into the hospital for dressing changes, came to see us for a physiotherapy follow up. To see him progress to needing only one crutch and for him being able to show off his walking is memorable. What were your biggest challenges working in this setting? Access remains a huge challenge for getting humanitarian aid to those who need it most in Syria. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent, International Committee of the Red Cross and other Movement partners, such as Canadian Red Cross, are amongst the few that have acceptance in the area and access. This allows us to continue providing aid to those who might not otherwise receive it. With the camp expanding quickly, humanitarian organizations have had to work hard to keep up with the demand, particularly for medical services. One of the challenges for me was always wanting to do more but being limited by the services we had the capacity to provide and the amount of supplies on hand. As well, there were environmental elements that made the work challenging. Some days the temperature would reach over 40 degrees, which added another layer of difficulty to the
Ashley Young is an Emergency Department (ED) nurse at Horizon’s Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital (DECRH). She recently travelled to the Al-Hol camp in northeast Syria as a triage nurse with the Canadian Red Cross, in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the Norwegian Red Cross field hospital. The camp hosts around 76,000 people who are either refugees or internally-displaced individuals and families, most of whom are women and children. The camp has been in operation since the early nineties, with a new wave of people starting to arrive in Al-Hol in December 2018. Within the camp there is limited access to health care due to ongoing hostilities, lack of medicine and damaged or destroyed health facilities. The field hospital is assisting patients wounded in war or suffering from illness. Here, Ashley shares her experience. How did you get involved with the Canadian Red Cross? Was this your first time working in this type of setting? From a very early age I worked towards becoming a medical professional so I could deliver humanitarian aid to people who needed it most. The Red Cross Movement is the largest humanitarian organization in the world and I always aspired to be part of their operations one day. When I felt I had acquired the appropriate nursing skills and knowledge that could be utilized in this context, I knew without a doubt I wanted to apply to the Canadian Red Cross. This was my first time deploying to a camp to support displaced people. Previous missions with the Red Cross have taken me to Lebanon and rural South Sudan. What was your role at the field hospital? I was assigned to work in Triage and both the male and female Emergency Rooms. My role in Triage was to assess the needs of those seeking medical care and then determine if we were able to help with their specific needs. The majority of our work was providing surgical and obstetrics care, as well as physio services. We also worked closely with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent who were operating a static clinic next to the hospital and treating medical issues such as diarrhea, dehydration, chronic health issues and malnutrition, which was supported by Canadian Red Cross. As needed, I also worked between Emergency Rooms to further assess patients, change dressings and provide medications. Strengthening the capacity of local staff and volunteers was also part of my role, which included daily hands-on training. Describe a day working at this camp. How did it differ from your work in the ED at the DECRH? How was it similar? Our mornings started early. We would travel over an hour to the field hospital each day.
Dear Staff, Physicians and Volunteers, The 2020s are upon us and it’s both an interesting and exciting time to be part of health care! Like many of you who have been working in health care for many years/ decades, I am constantly amazed by the advancements I have seen throughout my career. The exciting part is I don’t believe the pace of this improvement will be slowing down anytime soon.
Welcome to the 20th edition of the Horizon Star! We’re now a few weeks into a new year, a new decade. How are your resolutions going? If they’re not going well, you’re not alone. Research shows 60 per cent of people make New Year’s resolutions, but less than 10 per cent are successful in achieving them. Maybe that’s because the resolutions we often make are too rigid or unattainable. Even the definitions of resolution (something that is resolved; firmness of resolve) and resolute (marked by firm determination; bold, steady) are quite stringent. But, often, life doesn’t allow elaborate resolutions to work out. Instead, smaller, daily changes are the kind of resolutions that stick. In professional settings, we often look at SMART goals: goals that are S pecific, M easurable, A chievable, R ealistic and T imely. Why not try this kind of planning for your resolutions? And maybe you’re thinking: that’s way too much planning, but it doesn’t have to be, and you don’t have to completely change your ways to practice self-improvement. Instead of resolving to lose weight, try cooking one new healthy dish and trying a new workout every month. Want to read more while implementing healthier choices? Listen to audiobooks on your phone instead of watching a show two days a week while on the treadmill. Need to get better at asking for help? Start with delegating small chores at home or approach a colleague for support at work. Haven’t made a resolution for 2020 yet? Maybe you’ll find some inspiration in the stories in this issue. If you want to volunteer more of your time, read the story of how an ER nurse is bringing health care to a field hospital in Syria with the Canadian Red Cross (Page 5). Want to write more? Check out the story on Page 8 of how an MRT published her first book. And if you’re looking for reading inspiration, turn to Page 17 for our Top 10 list of the best things we’ve watched, read or listened to in 2019. As always, it’s an honour to share your stories, and I hope you’ll continue to reach me at HorizonStar@HorizonNB.ca
response. This also could pose challenges with some of the equipment; for example, we had an X-ray machine, but due to the heat it could shut down at times which could impact availability and assessment. How did your skills and experience as a Horizon ED nurse help you? As an ED nurse you need to be ready and prepared to tackle whatever comes through your department’s door. This readiness and ability to assess your patients in a high-stress environment while maintaining composure is an invaluable skill to have while working in the field. What skills – clinical or otherwise – did you learn and have incorporated into your care? Working in the field, it is vital to provide culturally appropriate care and maintain clear communication with colleagues and patients. For example, we would use translators to communicate with patients who didn’t speak English. We would also seek out female doctors to treat female patients when possible. Both are areas I have refined through this experience and incorporated into my care here in New Brunswick. Why would you encourage your colleagues to work with the Canadian Red Cross? If you are passionate about improving quality and access to health care for all people and want to have a part in alleviating the suffering of those impacted by emergencies, disasters or conflict, then the Canadian Red Cross is a great organization to lend your skills and knowledge. From my experience it has been extremely rewarding to see what is possible in seemingly impossible situations. I was lucky enough to see first-hand the impacts that the Red Cross Movement is making in the lives of people in the camp. For international opportunities please visit redcross.ca/delegates and for volunteering in Canada please visit redcross.ca/volunteer. You can also donate to the Syria Crisis and Refugee Appeal here.
In addition, Horizon has been leading the charge by performing “first of its kind” surgeries in both the country and Atlantic Canada. We’re also part of some ground- breaking research on many fronts. Together, these surgeries and research are leading to better patient outcomes in the most extraordinary ways. These are exciting developments for both Horizon and our patients/clients, and it’s a trend I hope to see continue. In saying this, it’s important to understand that to advance we must change and/or improve the way we are currently doing things. We have all read the headlines in the media, and changes to New Brunswick’s health care system are inevitable. Change is needed to grow, and I look forward to our organization
4 4
5
Karen McGrath President and CEO
working with our health care partners to develop a plan that will lead to better access to health care services for our patients, clients and their families. Much of Horizon’s plan to move forward will be outlined in our new strategic plan which will be released later this year. That is why it is critically important for us to hear from as many New Brunswickers as possible as we develop our strategic plan. This month we’ve launched our online engagement platform www.LetsTalkHorizon.ca and we encourage you to visit the site and share your ideas. There are a number of ways to share your feedback on the site, and that feedback will be integral to the development of our strategic plan. Consultation will be open until February 14, 2020. Whatever changes happen in the next weeks, months or years, it’s important information is shared and that your voice is heard. I look forward to what the 2020s will bring, and I am fortunate to be starting off this new decade as your CEO. Sincerely,
with new ideas. Happy reading,
GinaBeth Roberts Editor, Horizon Star
Karen McGrath President and CEO Horizon Health Network
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online