Behind the Scenes in St. Joe’s Emergency Department
“It’s a challenging time working in emergency during the third wave,” said Lynda Carter, registered nurse in St. Joe’s Emergency Department.
Lynda’s colleague, Candice Decker, a nurse and patient flow specialist, agrees.
“People are trying to stay away from the hospital, waiting too long when they have a problem and should be coming in, like with a heart attack. It’s been a real change in the age group of serious illness here,” said Decker.
Last week, St. Joe’s Emergency Department (ED) broke a record by seeing more than 200 patients, which Cory Fraser, Nurse Manager, explains is out of the ordinary and has put a strain on ED staff.
To meet the increasing demand and complexity, the ED team adapted how they provide care, including by separating potential COVID and non-COVID patients and welcoming back former ED staff through redeployment.
“We’re seeing greater complexity in the care environment. Our teams are providing care in non-traditional spaces and we’ve had to change our approach to care numerous times in the last year,” said Dr. Ian Buchanan, physician in St. Joe’s ED.
“We’ve also seen incredible demonstrations of teamwork and resilience. It’s been amazing to work side-by-side with our redeployed colleagues as you adapt to new and challenging situations. We see your hard work and appreciate it.”
Watch the video above featuring a number of staff working in the Emergency Department.
The ED team has a message for the community:
“Please stay safe and get vaccinated. If you do have a health condition, don’t put it off until the last minute. We are still here for those in need. Let’s get this done and over with so we can all get back to our normal lives.”