COVID-19 National Day of Observance - In Their Words - Sandip, RN

“To practise as a nurse is to be a stranger’s lifeline, and it gives me no greater solace than to say that in becoming a nurse, my job is to care for my fellow humans and to work with them in their most vulnerable state.”

Today we are sharing a story about Sandip, an RN at Joseph Brant Hospital who began their career a few months before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. We asked her a few questions about her experience beginning a new career at such a pivotal moment in history.  

Sandip always knew she wanted to be a nurse after spending a lot of time going through her dad’s old biology textbooks when she was about 8 or 9.

“I remember this layered diagram of the circulatory system, with all its veins and arteries, and being taken aback by the sheer complexity of our bodies.”

After completing her nursing degree, she began her career in December 2019 at JBH working on the Rehabilitation/Stroke unit. When the pandemic hit, she transitioned to the ICU under a team nursing model to facilitate the unprecedented influx of patients requiring critical care.

“It was an overwhelming time filled with an abundance of firsts, not only for myself, but for the entire ICU team.”

One entire wing of the ICU was dedicated to the care of COVID positive cases. Every bed in the wing was situated in a negative pressure environment and IV pumps were set up outside of the rooms to limit staff re-entry to try and limit exposure.

The pandemic caused Sandip to adapt quickly to ongoing changes, we asked her what this experience was like. 

“Speaking to my experience, I found that I had to become extremely malleable to the needs of the ICU as well as the entire organization. I was entering an environment that was completely foreign to me, during a particularly pressing time—new colleagues, new equipment, new care protocols, all under the umbrella of a pandemic.”

We asked Sandip what they learned about themselves during the pandemic.

“During this pandemic, I learned of my resiliency in the face of privation. I have found myself challenged, both emotionally and physically, at various junctures. My experience has made me stronger, and ultimately, through this pandemic, I find myself coming out of this a better nurse, in regard to my clinical knowledge and mental fortitude, as well as in my ability to empathise with the experiences of others.”

Thank you Sandip for your commitment to safe, quality patient care!

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JBH Annual Report 21-22: Extraordinary Moments, Exceptional Care

The 2021-2022 Annual Report showcases the extraordinary to the seemingly ordinary moments from the past year that collectively represent the compassion, accountability, respect, excellence and service our teams share with our patients every day, even when faced with the adversities of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stories reflect a moment in time – please view the Annual Report webpage for a more fulsome report on statistics.