Meet the team that brings CAOS every night

From left to right: Clinical administrators on site Kate Kinghan, Amy Coleman and Milena Gorichnaya.

Every night, when many of our staff have gone home and darkness falls, members of the CAOS team roam the halls…

But don’t let the name fool you. The CAOS team isn’t here to cause problems — it’s here to solve them.

“Our job is to make everything a little easier,” assures Amy Coleman.

CAOS stands for Clinical Administration on Site. This team is a vital support system for our staff members who work nights, early mornings and weekends at our campuses and satellite sites.

After hours, the CAOS team fills in for all onsite clinical managers and directors, the folks who oversee the programs that care for our patients. When staff members face an issue that needs to be resolved ASAP and their manager has gone home, they often turn to the CAOS team for help. The team of clinical administrators will either help resolve the issue or find someone who can.

These nighthawks may fly under the radar, but they are critical to making sure everything runs smoothly and our patients continue to receive world-class care after hours.

So, what hats do the team members wear? Well, it’s complicated.

“Every time somebody goes home, I gain a new job,” laughs Amy, only half jokingly.

It would be impossible in just one article to list every job that these multitasking, multitalented problem solvers gain every evening, but three CAOS team members share the ones that come up the most…

Keeping our teams well staffed

“This is the role that we’re most known for,” says Amy.

If a unit needs a nurse, clerk, PSW or pretty much anyone else, they call the CAOS team, who will try to find someone to fill the shift. Usually, this involves re-assigning staff members from other units or even other campuses. That means the CAOS team has to keep up to speed on the staffing situation in a lot of different areas of the hospital. The team sees the big picture and balances out staff members to make sure our units have enough people to support our patients.

Amy Coleman, Clinical Administrator on Site — Amy Coleman’s first nursing role was here at The Ottawa Hospital. She spent most of her career in the Civic Campus Emergency Department before joining the CAOS team in the early days of the pandemic.

Responding to critical events

If you’re a fan of just about any medical TV series, you’re probably very familiar with coloured codes. Announced over the intercom system, these codes alert staff to critical events like a fire (code red), missing patient (yellow) or system failure (grey). The CAOS team responds to as many codes as possible, attending to the scene and helping to manage the situation.

You may remember the fire at our General Campus in October 2023. The CAOS team at the General helped nurses get to and from their units because we were down to just one elevator. And the team at the Civic helped facilitate the transfer of patients from the General’s emergency department to the Civic’s.

“It was incredible to see everyone come together and amazing how well it all turned out,” recalls Milena Gorichnaya, who had just joined the CAOS team at the Civic earlier that year.

Milena Gorichnaya, Clinical Administrator on Site — Before joining the CAOS team, Milena Gorichnaya was a nurse for five years, spending much of this time in oncology. “I made the move because I’ve always adored the CAOS team. It was always incredible whenever they were doing their rounds just to hear the stories they had to tell.”

Helping families during difficult times

“This is something I do at least once every shift,” reports Kate Kinghan.

If family members come into a unit and they’re upset or need a little extra support, the unit staff will often call the CAOS team. The compassionate team members will be the face of management and listen to the family’s concerns and help in any way they can.

Kate Kinghan, Clinical Administrator on Site — Kate Kinghan began her career with The Ottawa Hospital in 1999 as a registered nurse in General Medicine, where she stayed for nearly 21 years before joining the CAOS team. “This job really gives you an appreciation for everybody across the hospital. It’s really opened my eyes to all the wild and wonderful things that our co-workers do.”

Dealing with the unexpected

For CAOS, expecting the unexpected is a big part of the job. Clinical administrators constantly encounter situations they’ve never encountered before and have to think quickly to make critical decisions.

“You have to know how to adapt to change because every single shift is different and there’s always something new,” explains Milena. “Fortunately, we all come from different clinical backgrounds, so whenever we need clarification in a specific area, we have each other to reach out to.”

“There’s no limit to what our group can and does do,” says Kate. “We go with the flow. We are flexible and learn on the fly. We just do what has to be done.”

And to our staff, the CAOS team has a message for you…

“We’re here, all the time,” reminds Amy. “If you have any issues, call us. Even if you just need a physical pair of hands, I have those!”

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