“To be an advocate or the voice for those who can sometimes go unheard”
Olivia Collins, RPN
RN Student
Olivia is currently working through her degree with Nipissing University. As far back as she can remember she wanted to be a nurse- to help those who are not fully able to help themselves. To be an advocate or the voice for those who can sometimes go unheard.Originally she graduated from the RPN program in 2015, and she has been involved in healthcare for 6 wonderful years…
“We have had many ups and downs throughout Covid-19, but we as nurses have learned how to rely on one another to promote the best possible care and outcomes for our patients.”
Olivia talks about the emotions she felt working through the pandemic…
Truthfully, working through this pandemic has been an emotional roller coaster. Not knowing each day to the next what new implementations will be thrown at us. Seeing myself and my colleagues having our rights taken away from us. Being expected to work long excruciating hours without any thanks or additional supports and tirelessly going back day after day to be the face of my patients. At the beginning of the pandemic we were said to be the hero’s behind this but it really hasn’t felt like that at all. We are all so tired, overworked and to be honest feel undervalued from all of this. In hindsight there have been some good moments throughout this pandemic. With our hospital accepting out of region patients, I have had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people.
“I have been able to create professional and therapeutic relationships with individuals who are far from home and be the friend that they needed while in hospital.
“My learning has been endless.
I have also learned a lot about myself throughout this experience, and again realized that nursing is the profession I am destined to be in”
However, my biggest fear throughout this pandemic, truthfully, was bringing Covid-19 home to my family. For some time our hospital was continuously changing personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements. At one time, we were reusing PPE due to a shortage. The thoughts of that made me feel ill. The possibility of transmitting something to my home environment was always on my mind. They changed the requirements for contact isolated patients, so we were not to wear proper PPE such as gown/masks to preserve what PPE they had. It seemed like we were put at risk to save from PPE shortages. Soon after that thankfully all changed.
Olivia talks about how she cares for her mental health…
To take care of my mental health during the pandemic I have spent a lot of time with my family. My husband, children and I quite often take walks to just relax and embrace the beauty around us . It’s been hard seeing my son miss out of all the activities he once enjoyed to play. The stress he’s had from missing his friends and the loneliness it has created. We try to stay busy and do family oriented things to create a more normalized atmosphere. My family is my comfort zone where I can relax, be myself and just let go of everything else.
Olivia’s hopes for the future in the nursing profession…
My hopes for my future in nursing are to see equality between the different scopes in nursing. It’s unfortunate though a completely realistic issue that RPN’s are undervalued here in Ontario. We complete 94% of the same day to day tasks as the registered nurses in our establishment, but on many scales, we are not seen as valued as they are. Our pay scales are not comparable for the work that we perform. This alone has been a big push for me to go back to school to further my education and become a registered nurse. It would be nice to see a change made for my colleagues who have decided not to peruse their degree to be treated equally and fairly as they should. To be valued as a working body and receive a wage they deserve.
My biggest learning experience from this pandemic would be that I can not be afraid to rely on others and use all the supports around me. We are a team, and we need to support one another with each task at hand. Remember to always do what I believe in and continue to be the best nurse that I can be.
Outside of nursing I am a mother and wife. I spend many hours at the hockey rink and weekends at the park. My family truly is my happiness outside of nursing.
When I have a hard day, I know when I go home I’ll be met with open arms and showered with love. They are who have really helped me through this pandemic. Home has been my outlet where I don’t have to necessarily worry about Covid-19 as much as I do when at work. My family is my biggest support and I’m forever grateful to have such a wonderful team behind me.
