{"id":505,"date":"2015-12-02T11:15:01","date_gmt":"2015-12-02T16:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/toh.masm.ca\/en\/?p=505"},"modified":"2021-02-17T11:39:22","modified_gmt":"2021-02-17T16:39:22","slug":"staff-bring-a-world-of-knowledge-and-understanding-back-to-the-ottawa-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/uncategorized\/staff-bring-a-world-of-knowledge-and-understanding-back-to-the-ottawa-hospital\/","title":{"rendered":"Staff bring a world of knowledge and understanding back to The Ottawa Hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt takes so little on our part to help someone so greatly,\u201d said RN Jennifer Taylor, who has volunteered her nursing skills abroad in Tanzania, as well as Uganda and Madagascar.<\/em><\/p>\n

A 12-year-old girl attacked by a tiger. Patients arriving by cow. Cleaning wounds with scarce bottled water. Racing to the airport amidst a riot. Sidearms worn in the operating room. The heart-wrenching parental smiles upon realizing their child will be helped.<\/p>\n

Staff members at The Ottawa Hospital return with vivid memories about working abroad, but what else have they learned while offering health care on remote islands and far-off mountains? What skills and values have they developed, while volunteering in states struck by war and disaster, that will help their work here in Ottawa?<\/p>\n

(Read their full stories by clicking on their names.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Respiratory Therapist Andria Darlington<\/a> was reinvigorated by her work in Tanzania, helping improve maternal mortality rates.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt reaffirmed my passion for helping those in need,\u201d said Darlington. \u201cI returned feeling connected to the world around me, motivated by a hope to make a difference, and positive that change can be possible even when it seems extremely challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking in Haiti has made me appreciate and understand another culture and another value system, plus learn a new language,\u201d said Speech Language Pathologist Karen Mallet<\/a>. \u201cThis helps me in my role at The Ottawa Hospital by being cognizant of others\u2019 cultures, beliefs, thoughts, values and language. I think it makes me a better clinician.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JE<\/a>
\nMonica Robichaud in Haiti<\/em><\/p>\n

RN Bonni MacGregor<\/a>, who helped provide medical clinics in Cambodia, has also become more sensitive to different cultures.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a benefit to the hospital having staff who may have a better understanding of the many walks of life we interact with,\u201d said MacGregor.<\/p>\n

Dr. Roanne Segal<\/a> returned from Rwanda with an attitude of acceptance and understanding. \u201cFor me, I think there\u2019s a different acceptance of individual patient values,\u201d she said. \u201cThey may not be mine but I accept them with a little less judgment. You start to recognize what\u2019s important.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many staff members gained a new appreciation for Canada\u2019s and The Ottawa Hospital\u2019s standards of health care after working in less-privileged areas around the globe.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou go to work at these hospitals, with limited supplies, sometimes limited clean bathrooms or running water, and fewer beds than we have, and you appreciate what you have at home,\u201d said RN Donna Crowe, who has volunteered on 30 missions in 10 countries. \u201cWe all have health care. They do not.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPatient access, patient safety, patient experience \u2013 these are phrases that we, at the hospital, are very familiar with and often take for granted,\u201d explained Dr. Wylam Faught, an obstetrician and gynecologist who has made annual trips to Tanzania since 2009 to teach skills, develop local programs and help build capacity. \u201cBut when you see the gaps in a low-resource country such as Tanzania, it makes us appreciate Canada and Canadian health care that much more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Robert<\/a>
\nDr. Robert Johnston (right) in Afghanistan<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI have learned how to improvise when resources are lacking,\u201d said Dr. Robert Johnston<\/a>, an anesthesiologist who also works for the Canadian Armed Forces, providing trauma care to Canadian and partner nations\u2019 military operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to keep things in perspective,\u201d said Occupational Therapist Monica Robichaud<\/a>, who volunteered in Haiti and Nepal. \u201cI am compassionate to the clients I serve and have a renewed appreciation for our system\u2019s resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to make therapy more about my clients and really focus on what will make a difference in their lives,\u201d said Occupational Therapist Nadia Pereira<\/a>, who also volunteered in Haiti. \u201cI try to be more practical and make sure that my recommendations fit the reality of their world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Above all, hospital staff members truly realize the importance of compassion.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt reminds me of why I love being a nurse and how much I enjoy caring for people in vulnerable and trying situations in their life,\u201d said RN Jennifer Taylor<\/a>, who has worked in Tanzania, Uganda and Madagascar. \u201cUltimately this makes me more compassionate for the patients and families that I care for here at home.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt takes so little on our part to help someone so greatly,\u201d said RN Jennifer Taylor, who has volunteered her nursing skills abroad in Tanzania, as well as Uganda and Madagascar. A 12-year-old girl attacked by a tiger. Patients arriving by cow. Cleaning wounds with scarce bottled water. Racing to the airport amidst a riot. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"wps_subtitle":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=505"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ottawahospital.on.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}