Alison Perez

I am currently working in the position of operating room nurse at the Montreal Shriners Hospital. I learned this new position over a timeline of 3 months and had probation of another 3 months. I excelled and enjoyed the work very quickly. It is completely different from all of my previous work experience but I proved I can adapt and switch my focus when required. Orthopedics is the main focus but I have experience now in urology, plastics, and some minor general surgery, ENT and dental.

• The Neuro ICU is where I was taught to care for patients on ventilators and or pressors with very serious neuro-specific issues. I worked closely with respiratory therapists, anesthesia and surgeons. Patients here were treated for strokes, brain bleeds, cancer, or neurodegenerative diseases alongside any of their possible comorbidities. Our 12 bedded ICU included an extra 3 for code strokes coming in via ambulance, and 4 other beds as a PACU. All three roles and skills of ER/PACU/ICU nursing were taught to me here and I used them all equally often.

• My first nursing job out of school was on Ross-3 then turned C10 after the RVH moved to the Glen site. My time here was spent working with transplant, hepatobiliary and ENT patients. Here I became proficient in wound care, specifically with ostomies, VAC dressings, central lines, and pressure ulcers. Additional skills learned and used here include: Peripheral intravenous insertion, NGT placements, trach suctioning and cleaning, leech therapy, skin graft care. More specifically I was caring for Liver and Kidney transplant patients as well as patients being treated for pancreatitis, and pancreatic cancer, etc.

• Here I became re-certified in BLS, and PALS as well as my Emergency Nursing Pediatric Course (ENPC). My days consisted of caring for patients with respiratory illnesses for the most part. The emergency is also the pediatric trauma centre of Montreal, therefore I have spent a lot of my time here learning to prioritize life saving measures and assessments. I have grown my inter-personal skills while working closely with parents, and children with varied disabilities or who live with complicated psychiatric diagnosis's.