Humanizing palliative, end of life care in critical care
The goal of the fellowship is to deepen my knowledge and expertise related to palliative and end of life care and to explore its application in critical care and acute care inpatient units. Learning objectives with potential relevance to both environments would involve developing the following: a) an increasing ability to identify and treat distressing symptoms, b)…
Read MoreFacilitating self-compassion and compassionate care in nursing students
A growing concern has been identified within the literature of an increase in frequency of patients reporting a lack of compassionate care. This lack of compassionate care has turned a spotlight on nursing education programs and how they are preparing new graduates to be compassionate nursing care providers. Understanding how self-compassion, person-centred care, and compassionate nursing practice is…
Read MoreEvaluating an educational program about compassion fatigue for mental health nurses
The Advanced Clinical Practice Fellowship (ACPF) program has provided me with a unique opportunity to learn about program evaluation and sustainability processes. This fellowship was completed full time in the fall and winter of 2017-2018 under the guidance and supervision of my mentoring team (Joanna Noonan, Manager of Occupational Health, Safety and Wellness KHSC, Dr.…
Read MoreBuilding Expertise in the Development of a Co-Produced Quality Improvement Health Literacy Initiative in the Acute Care Setting
The role of the healthcare consumer is extending beyond that of a passive recipient of care to an active participant. This participation is described in the literature in a number of ways, including patient engagement, patient involvement and patient-and family-centredness. Nevertheless, patients may not be able or willing to be involved in the provision of…
Read MoreSupporting the Development of Caring and Compassionate Care in Nursing Students Within a Public Health Setting
Nursing theorists such as Roach, Watson and Ray have developed frameworks through which the concept of caring can be identified as a critical component of nursing practice, regardless of the setting (Algoma Public Health, 2008). However, numerous studies have shown that in the transition period from student to novice, new nurses can be so overwhelmed…
Read MoreBuilding Cultural Competence in Nursing to Enhance Patient Centered Care Amongst the Underserved and Disenfranchised
Bringing awareness to health care providers about the health disparities amongst underserved and disenfranchised populations is an important step to developing cultural competence. According to Srivastava (2007), there is a cultural clash between the Canadian healthcare system and the individual client’s values and beliefs, along with a failure on the part of the healthcare providers…
Read MoreTransitional Care for Geriatric Patients in Acute Care
Senior Friendly Care is a corporate strategy at Sault Area Hospital and this project will provide me and my team with the opportunity to drive new tactics for senior friendly care in acute care. Evidence-based practice guidelines and methods will be utilised including RNAO Best Practice Guidelines, Quality Based Procedures clinical handbooks, Health Quality Ontario…
Read MoreCollaboration: Operating Room Essentials (CORE), Leading Invasive Procedural Area Education Beyond the Perioperative Suites
This Fellowship will focus on transformational leadership development while leading educational resource design/delivery through Collaboration: Operating Room Essentials (CORE), to support advanced perioperative knowledge and skill in the provision of invasive procedural care beyond the perioperative suites. During the term of the fellowship, activities will center on restructuring educational resources for immediate use within Interventional…
Read MoreIncreasing Communication to Improve the Retro-Transfer Process in Neonatal Care: A Quality Improvement Project
The birth of an infant requiring hospitalization in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is undoubtedly a stressful experience for parents. Due to the regionalization of neonatal care, most infants admitted to the NICU at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) are acutely treated then subsequently retro-transferred to a lower-level NICU for convalescent care (McCormick,…
Read MoreExploring a curricular shift towards relational practice: equipping online educators and students for a human-focused future
The learning goal of my 2018/19 Fellowship application is to explore, analyze and document the process experience of applying relational practice within curriculum. This will mean ‘reimagining’ the work of online faculty and support staff, in order to begin to determine what a compassionate and relational core could be. My earlier fellowship work focused on demonstrating the ‘what’…
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