Staff Spotlight
Kiran Kooner, Registered Nurse and Clinical Nurse Educator
In celebration of National Nursing Week (May 8-14), nurses from across Vancouver Coastal Health are taking us along for their shifts, giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the important work they do, alongside their interdisciplinary teams, to care for our patients, clients and residents.
7:00 a.m. – Starting my day
My day begins with a warm cup of chai and quality time with my family. In the morning, my two-year-old granddaughter enjoys introducing me to all her toys. Together, we play, laugh and cheer. It’s a wonderful start to my day.
7:30 a.m. – Driving to work
I enjoy my commute into work. As a Clinical Nurse Educator, I seek opportunities to learn and connect with my community. Often this happens naturally, when I bring my granddaughter to daycare and see the smiling faces of my entire long-term care family.
8:00 a.m. – Preparing for my day
It is my responsibility to provide education to all staff at my facility. I strive to be a resource person to the whole team and our residents.
I review my agenda and to-do list and plan for the day. This prepares me for my meetings with my educator colleague.
I am an active participant in our daily leadership huddles. Here, we discuss our new residents and their needs, staffing concerns and new projects. We also introduce new team members and students.
Noon – Lunch break with colleagues
During my breaks, I enjoy sharing life’s experiences and joys with colleagues and others in the helping professions. My favourite place to hold these meetings is on the balcony on a warm sunny day.
Often, we will go for a quick walk around Minoru Park. Through these small meaningful moments, we celebrate life’s many joyous occasions together.
Below, we take some time to celebrate special occasions together.
1:00 p.m. – Providing education
It is around this time that my educator colleague and I provide in-service education opportunities to staff. During each month, we plan and facilitate many formal education sessions like the one pictured below.
Additionally, each day I conduct multiple informal and one-on-one education sessions with staff members. Through collaboration with my colleague, future educational events are planned to ensure staff are kept abreast of current, evidence-informed clinical skills and knowledge.
3:00 p.m. – Afternoon thoughts
As the day nears its end, I begin preparations for the next day. This often involves organizing objectives, noting progress on various projects and communicating appreciation to all those who have helped make a great day even better.
If the day permits, I will welcome and connect with the evening staff to better support their daily responsibilities.
4:00 p.m. – Reflecting on my day
I am a strong believer of regular reflection. In fact, I recognize reflection as a prerequisite necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of one’s efforts.
I often set time aside to check in with myself. I ask myself what my goals were that day and what I did to achieve them. I also consider how my goals align with the desired outcome. This allows me to make continuous, dynamic adaptations to my practice, as appropriate.
4:30 p.m. – Driving back home
For me, nursing is a vocation and my passion. I am truly fortunate to have worked at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) for more than 25 years. Under VCH, I am involved in meaningful and fulfilling service to my community.
As I drive home, I reflect on the good. This grounds me to the present, allowing me to appreciate all that surrounds me.
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