Nov 17, 2000
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THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA Nov 17, 2000 |
| Nursing grads Allison Murray and Claudette Ramos are starting their careers treating patients at opposite ends of life’s spectrum. After earning high praise for her work at the Victoria Hospice and Royal Jubilee Hospital during her final practicum sessions, Murray hopes to continue specializing in palliative care work as a nursing staff member at Prince George Regional Hospital. Ramos is currently caring for patients whose life has just begun at the B.C. Children’s Hospital’s special care nursery (SCN) — a position rarely offered to brand new nurses. Both grads admit others influenced their career paths. “I hated my first one-and-a-half years of college in general arts and left to work at a ski resort in Alberta. My aunt, a social worker, told me I was a dreamer with my head in the clouds and that I should try something steady . . . like nursing. I laughed at her at first,” recalls Murray, who eventually reconsidered and enrolled in UVic’s collaborative nursing program through Camosun College. Ramos had her sights set on a pediatric oncology specialty and worked as a home support worker to help pay for her studies at program partners North Island and Kwantlen Colleges. Two years ago she suffered a herniated disc while lifting a patient, an injury that plagues her still and limits her career options. UVic and BCIT neonatal nursing instructor Helen Brown heard about Ramos’ injury and suggested she apply to work in the SCN with low birth weight, sick, and premature infants. “ The little babies are so small, I can care for them without hurting my back,” says a delighted Ramos. Murray says she “has no idea” what drew her to apply to work at hospice and, later, at RP1, the floor at Royal Jubilee for very ill cancer patients who still opt for active treatment. “I do have alternative ideas about life and death. I don’t think you have just one kick at the can. I don’t see death as being gloomy. It’s another cycle of life. I think anyone who’s witnessed that special moment is very blessed.” On her last day on RP1, Murray was supporting a patient when he died. She also attended to patients who were in their last days of life. She admitted to feeling “awkward” initially while dealing with grief-stricken families, “but then I realized they want someone who’s real. I worried about what to say but sometimes there is nothing to say. Sometimes the family members just want to do the talking. You actually form quite a connection with them.” Ramos’s care also goes beyond the patient. “I like working in partnership with infants and their families. There are many psycho-social issues around a critically ill infant and taking care of that can be challenging and rewarding.” |