Grad Success Stories
Practical Nursing graduates have gone on to achieve success in the Healthcare Sector. Here are just a few of their success stories.
Photo Credit: Michelle Valberg Photography
Andrew Campagna is a nurse in the supervised injection site at Ottawa Inner City Health. At the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Andrew took on the role of setting up the isolation unit for the homeless. Andrew’s understanding of the culture and needs of the homeless helped build this unit where clients felt safe, respected and welcomed. Andrew has a wonderful ability to connect with his clients. He has helped many of them become healthier and better equipped to work towards their life goals after a stay in pandemic isolation. He has been a valuable key to the success of the self-isolation unit which has admitted over 620 different people since the beginning of the pandemic.
Andrew shares, “It quickly became apparent in the early stages of Covid that we needed to set up an isolation program for the homeless. I stepped in and took the lead. We had everything set up in less than 7 days. Our primary challenge was to create a self-isolation unit that appealed to people who had been previously institutionalized or incarcerated. Self-isolation is voluntary. I knew the importance of making sure people felt like they had choices while still enticing them to stay isolated for the full 14 days. My goal continues to be engagement and encouragement for good decisions, and of course without question, keeping our people and city safe.”
-Andrew Campagna, 2017 Practical Nursing graduate
The COVID-19 pandemic is unchartered territory for health care and non-healthcare workers alike. For Mike Wise, a recent RPN graduate, this unfamiliar atmosphere simply means continuing to provide the best quality care to a vulnerable population at Carefor Mackay Resident Complex.
Although there was a time at the beginning where fear and uncertainty arose, staff rallied together to weather the storm and do everything in their power to keep the residents safe, doing the best with the resources available.
Mike feels fortunate to work with such a devoted team: “We work for one goal; to do the very best we can for the residents.” Mike shares how impressed he is with the ingenuity of the staff during the shutdown: “With families not being able to visit loved ones, the staff are doing even more to try to help the residents feel more at home. One staff member brought in her personal iPad and helped the residents to do video chats with family members.”
Care Team Supervisor Jennifer St. Cyr can’t be more proud of all the great work her staff are doing. In particular, Mike’s passion as an RPN for Carefor is infectious, and he never ceases to bring a smile to all the residents’ faces. “He is the gentle giant who always has a smile and is always going above and beyond,” Jennifer says.
-Mike Wise, 2019 Practical Nursing graduate