ARTIFACTS

Divorce Certificate

So this probably seems like an unusual choice, however bear with me.  This certificate represents freedom, strength, choice, and change.  I was married for 10 years to a man that did not want me to grow as a person or professionally.  I had very little say in my life. I had 3 beautiful children with him and I was expected to do it all. I worked full time and raised kids mostly alone. I never felt like I had a way out. I on many occasions brought up going back to school to do my RN. I even applied and got into UOIT, I was guilted into not going, and shamed for wanting more for my family. After finding the strength to stand up for myself, find my voice, be a positive role model for my kids I made the choice for change and the choice to make myself a priority. The same things I wanted my girls to be, strong, courageous and self respecting is what I had to start showing them.  This certificate is all of those things. Since my divorce I applied to Trent University and am working away at becoming an RN. I have a new life filled with a new wonderful husband and friends that support me. My children, all 4 now tell me how proud they are of me, and most importantly I am proud of myself. This certificate gave me my light back that had been dulled for so many years.

Coronary Care RN

Many years ago Durham College did not offer Coronary Care 1 to RPNs.  One of my daughters had multiple episodes of Cardiac Arrest. Durham Region at the time had little to no resources for children with cardiac issues. I did ask the school if I could join the class and I was granted, thankfully.  I did have to lie and tell my husband at the time I was at work to attend this course. My daughter was always on the monitor.  Even at home she was on a Cardiorespiratory monitor and I needed to be able to read the strips.  I did complete the course, and did quite well. This started off by me doing it for personal reasons but this has helped me through my time at Lakeridge in reading monitors when working ER, as well as doing EKG on the Med/Surg Units.

CNO Registration Certificate

My RPN registration is something I am very proud of. I was 17 when I started Durham College and remembering some of my first Pharmacology classes. I was the teenager that didn’t know that Tylenol is a Trade name. Acetaminophen is Generic. The things I had to learn, the opportunities that I was given, teachers that scared the wits out of me, because they had such high expectations.  I needed this more than I knew. My home life wasn’t great, my parents never showed interest and when they did it was worse.  The teachers I had showed an interest in me, mentored me, supported me and I truly cared about me and my success. When I see this certificate I see sacrifices, I see hard work, and I see an interest in education and learning.  I strive to always be learning and growing and that has led me back to school.  I have a few more years under my belt, 20 years, but I am excited with the support of the teaching staff to be prepared to “kill” the NCLEX and receive a new registration for my RN.

Small Collage of Learning

Ongoing learning is so important for nursing. I try to take advantage of as many learning opportunities as I can. I have taken multiple Palliative care seminars as this was something at the start of my practice I was unsure of. I never felt comfortable having conversations around death and dying with families or patients so I made sure to attend to build up confidence as this is an everyday topic. I absolutely love palliative care now and pride myself on providing the best care and still to date attend all I can as treatments are always changing and I want to maintain evidence based care. I have also jumped out of my comfort zone and attended education to be a TOR-BSST screener.  This education is helpful for stroke patients that are awaiting an SLP assessment.  I am able to perform this and see if they pass so they do not have to remain NPO until the SLP is able to assess them. I have completed CBRN training through the Medical Assistance Team.  This has prepared me for playing an active role if there is an emergency especially living close to the Nuclear Plant.  I know how to assess patients and tag them based on treatment and level of care and how to decontaminate their bodies prior to entry. Non-Violent Crisis Intervention is something we use quite often on the Med/Surg floor I work on. This training is woven into all of my care provided to patients. Lastly, this C-Diff education was the first time I heard about fecal transplants, it was shocking then and still remains hard for me to imagine now.  I do not believe we do this at our hospital, however we have plenty of patients with C-Diff and this gave me a better understanding of medications used and why.  These learning opportunities have helped to shape my nursing care and I continue to take advantage of all learning opportunities as I believe this is a big part of being in a self-regulating profession.

Letter of Reference

This letter of reference comes from Angela, a peer on the Critical Care Resource Team (CCRT), who has been a tremendous supporter of my decision to return to school and pursue further education with the goal of eventually working alongside her in the ICU as an RN. Angela is a nurse I deeply respect and admire, and her positive feedback about my nursing care holds great significance for me. Her encouragement reinforces my motivation to continue my education—not only for my personal growth, but also to better serve and support my future patients.