A trailblazer joins the team
Together, the mental health team moulds a new nurse to become an innovative team member
Sometimes, breaking old patterns can lead to breakthroughs – and forge promising new paths.
Brooke Whitteker, a nursing student from Laurentian University, was the first to trial a multidisciplinary pilot program at QCH that had her moving between seven different areas of our Mental Health unit. Typically, a student works in just one area to become proficient.
Sherri Cope, Manager of Mental Health, created the pilot program to accommodate Brooke and capture the unique opportunity to develop an enhanced training experience.
Brooke came to QCH determined to work in the Mental Health unit against the judgement of her peers, who feared she would regress in other aspects of nursing. Brooke, however, saw it as a place to grow: “From the beginning of my nursing education, I was captivated by the human mind and the intricacies of psychiatry,” Brooke says.
“I had to learn so many new skills that differed from my usual nursing skills.”
“I watched as patients awaited their psychiatry consultation in the ED, to being admitted to the inpatient unit, to being transferred or discharged and followed up in the outpatient clinics.”
In light of Brooke’s passion and potential, everyone in the unit came together to offer her a unique learning opportunity, curated across many disciplines like crisis nursing, social work, occupational and recreational therapy, the medication clinic, and more.
Instead of a laser-focused consolidation, she was able to absorb the full picture and true scope of what a patient experiences in the unit. The result was a student uniquely skilled and multifaceted, whose knowledge proved invaluable to her practice – and her patients.
Brooke is incredibly thankful to all the staff who went out of their way to create an amazing rotation of experiences for her, shedding light on the various moving parts of the unit that make up the whole.
She has since joined the unit by accepting a well-deserved position as Clinical Care Assistant and hopes that her success has paved the way for future nursing students.
“Every team member I was partnered with took me in with open arms, taught me everything they could, and answered all my questions. I was encouraged, supported, uplifted, and appreciated along each step of the way.”