Not only does Eileen MacDonald get paid to do what she loves, her contributions to rural nursing have won her another award.
She was the recipient of an Interior Health award for “sustaining and ensuring affordable health care in 2010.” This year, the College of Registered Nurses of B.C. has recognized her as both a powerful nursing practice leader, and as an educator, and presented her with a Nursing Excellence Award at a ceremony April 7 in Vancouver.
“It’s very humbling, but I work for an organization that loves to work to our capacity,” she says, noting how much she values the fact her colleagues took the time in both instances to write letters of recommendation that have been presented to her in bound copies.
“They’re just beautiful. When I got these I said, ‘well there, I’ve already got the award,’” she says. “I love my job; it’s a very privileged position I have.”
And the feeling is reciprocated.
“She is a big-picture thinker and has made invaluable regional practice contributions,” says IH rural nurse educator Debra-Lyn Watson.
MacDonald has been a Thompson Cariboo Shuswap Health Region rural nurse educator for nearly a decade, developing a program of educational support for 17 rural hospitals. She has compiled two clinical standards and procedures manuals, Clinical Transfusion Care and Adult Parenteral Therapy.
Her work includes program planning, content delivery and building supportive networks within a constantly evolving rural health setting. Thanks to her efforts, all registered nurses in the health region have electronic health resources at their fingertips.
MacDonald’s contribution to the ER triage process at Shuswap Lake General was also well-received.
“Her mentorship has helped me to align our ER goals with Safer Healthcare Now initiatives and accreditation requirements,” says patient care co-ordinator Dorothy Crandell.
Maintaining that there are continual changes in the science of nursing and always room for improvement, MacDonald says she addresses those changes by first looking to see who might have already adopted them. She then looks for evidence to support the practice, and researches whether there is anything new to add before introducing the practice in IH.
In doing so, she has developed a strong network both across IH, the province and the country – something that keeps her abreast of new developments and results.
At the same time, MacDonald works with frontline staff to hear directly from them where they think there may be gaps, and also to take new information to them before a program is put into place.
“We have to work together when we make changes,” she says. “Breaking down the boundaries is a large part of what I do because patients travel across boundaries. It’s very much a personal philosophy of mine.”