How long have you been a PCA at McLaren Bay Region?
In June, I will have been here for 20 years.
What do you love most about your job?
I enjoy the interaction with people and taking care of people. Also, I love the staff members I work with. They become like your family. Sometimes it can feel like you spend more time with them than you do your own family.
Why did you choose the Emergency Department (ED)?
I choose to work in the ED because it's always something different. It's never the same from day to day. I do a lot of different things—draw blood, do EKGs, take people upstairs or to imaging including X-ray, radiology, or ultrasound.
What do you think about the team you work with?
I think it's good. After COVID, things have changed so much so you have to be a tighter group than you've ever been before.
How did things change with COVID?
People and the work environment changed. I think people are more stressed. Our patient’s overall health has changed due to all the isolation that took place, and now the economy is so bad—it really is a combination of those things.
Do any interactions come to mind that you remember in your career where there was a patient that was very scared or very critical, or somebody that you were able to help through a very difficult time?
The incident I remember the most is when a boat capsized, and the people aboard were missing. It was a fishing boat, and it had two gentlemen, a man and his friend, and then the one gentleman's 13-year-old son. I was third shift for a long time, so it was about three o'clock in the morning, and they had finally found them. But the 13-year-old was a skinnier child, and unfortunately, he didn’t make it. Rightfully so, the father was sobbing uncontrollably. I thought, I just have to do something. So, I went in there and talked with him and just held his hand. You can help people medically all the time, but to help somebody and comfort them emotionally in their time of need is a totally different thing.
Have you ever run into someone you cared for in the community? What are those interactions like?
That happens to me all the time! It happens to me at the grocery store or at the dollar store, and they tell me how I took such good care of them and thank me. A while ago, I was in a drinking establishment and suddenly, I looked down and I have two drinks in front of me that I didn’t order. An employee then pointed to a gentleman who sent the drinks to thank me for taking such great care of his dad.
What advice would you give someone who was interested in becoming a PCA?
It’s very rewarding and it's very busy. You really have to be a jack of all trades. I’m glad that I’m still here and doing this job after all this time.
Is there anybody you work with that puts a smile on your face and that you want to recognize?
I would like to recognize Jill Smith who is a nurse here in the ED. She is here early in the mornings, and she works very hard. If there's anything that needs to be done, she’ll do it. She's always Johnny on the spot. She organizes all the social events for the ED to make us feel more like a team. She’s the organizer of the fun here, and we need that.