Same quality care, different every day

For Jenn MacDonald, life as an RPN in AmbCare means every day is different. One moment you could assist a physician in fixing a ruptured tendon, and in another addressing skin cancer. She says the department is like the ED, but without the trauma. You never know what will walk through the door.

Jenn and her colleagues play a crucial role in supporting patients with wound care and infection prevention, often keeping them out of the emergency department. Unfortunately, for some patients, depending on their condition, they are often ‘repeat customers.’

During the pandemic, virtual care has brought a whole new element of safety by keeping people at home while ensuring timely attention to infections, which can mean the difference between life and death or losing a foot or toe.

Virtual care saves the day

Our AmbCare team supports our regional partner hospitals by scheduling telemedicine appointments with some of their patients needing post-surgery wound care and diabetic ulcers. Patients in the Barry’s Bay, Pembroke, Renfrew, Arnprior, Lanark, and Almonte areas can receive support for their wound care at their local hospital via link to QCH.

Jenn remarked, “this is great for the patients as they don’t need to travel and can be in their community hospital, and great for us as it reduces the number of unnecessary visits in our hospital.”

QCH’s goal is to provide 70% of eligible visits virtually. In November, the Patient Portal was rolled out in the Skin Soft Tissue Infection Clinic (SSTIC). Jenn says, “despite some challenges, things are off to a great start, and the team has provided a lot of virtual care for the elderly population. The technology can be a bit intimidating for these patients, but the AmbCare team does a great job in educating their patients in how to work with the electronic consultation.”

Most days, she schedules between 6 – 10 virtual consultations a day, and for every patient she sees online, it means a lot of time saved for everyone and less stress and pain for her patients experiencing foot pain and mobility issues.

The pandemic also introduced other experiences to Jenn and her team, as AmbCare had to redeploy most of the staff to the COVID-19 Care and Testing Centre on Moodie to help with regular nursing duties and deliver swabs to the doctors’ assessment room. They also provided support to patients who were receiving care during these uncertain times.

A lasting impression

Of all the variety in Jenn’s role, one experience has left a lasting impression — supporting the patients and staff at the Carlingview Manor during their outbreak. “It was sheer horror,” she says, “with minimum staff, so many patients were not even getting the bare minimum of care, so it felt good to make a difference to these elderly people.”

The difference Jenn made was not limited to care. She was behind the idea to round up presents for the residents – often very basic things that were true luxuries to these isolated seniors.

“Bringing presents to Carlingview made my day – actually, maybe even my whole year! Some of these people were excited just to get a blanket or a pair of socks."

"It really makes you appreciate all that you have and how doing something small can make the biggest difference to someone in need.”