There is just one more issue of Pulse Newsletter left in 2023! The next issue comes out on Dec. 21, 2023 and then there is a publication break. The first issue of 2024 will be Jan. 11.

Celebrating IWK All Stars

This week staff, physicians and teams were celebrated at the All Stars Fall Awards. It was a joyous occasion celebrating people for their tremendous contributions to the IWK, colleagues, community and patients and families.

"Recognition is active here at IWK Health and I have every confidence that the daily efforts and innovations which lead to impressive achievements over time will be on display today," said Steve Ashton, VP, People & Organization Development. "Our winners over the years have said that they may not feel extraordinary in what they do, but their fierce commitment to doing their very best leads to the work we are recognizing today"

A recording of the ceremony is now available. Congratulations to all of the award winners featured below and all of the nominees: Andrea Weagle, Barbara Blays, Dr. Brynn Kelly, Chantale Deyoung, Clara Turcotte, Dr. Craig Erker, Elizabeth Greene, Heather Jenkins, Jacklynn Pidduck, Jane Marchildon, Jeff Lebrun, Dr. Jehier Afifi, Judi Young, Julia Gates, Katy Mattatall, Dr. May Elsherif and Kara Redden, Megan Murphy, Dr. Michiel Van Den Hof, Nadine Smith, Dr. Nancy Van Eyk, Nicole Mroz, Read To Me Team (Breanna Smith-Macleod, Ana Ojeda, Nancy Edgar), Saholy Mevamanana, Sylvia Euale, and Dr. Ziad Farhat.

Allied Health Preceptor Award: Dr. April Sullivan, psychologist, AIS

As a preceptor, April creates a safe and non-judgmental learning environment that includes humour, modeling, and attunement to self-care. This protective environment allows supervisees to be socialized to the profession, gently challenged, and encouraged to grow. April has a solid history of supervising psychology residents. In the last five years alone, she has been the preceptor for seven predoctoral residents. Many former trainees of April's refer to her as one the best clinical supervisors they have had throughout their many years of doctoral training.  

DA Gillis Award for Clinical Excellence: Dr. Michael Young, staff physician, Emergency Department

Michael is known as a very kind and supportive teacher when working with medical students and residents, and his ability to communicate with patients and families is unmatched. He has been known to draw diagrams for families to explain a child’s abdominal pain, play an audio clip for parents when describing what a "croupy" cough sounds like, and has a unique way of explaining concussions to patients. He has an ability to make patients and families feel comfortable even on their worst days in the Emergency Department. Like Dr. Alex Gillis, Mike is capable of filling whatever gap is needed and whose personal attributes of integrity, honesty and his sense of humour have been the glue that held IWK’s Department of Emergency Medicine together for over a decade.

IWK Research Award: Children’s Oncology Group (Dr. Craig Erker, Deb Parker, Shelly Hollett, Erin Mackinnon, Jeff LeBrun and Katrina MacDonald)

The Children’s Oncology Group (COG) is the largest pediatric clinical trials group in the world with dozens of clinical trials, and more than 12,000 children enrolled each year in more than 200 institutions worldwide. As a direct result of these cooperative trials, survival has moved from approximately 20 per cent overall in the 1960s to over 85 per cent. The COG office supports between 30–50 clinical trials that offer cutting edge chemotherapy protocols, innovative medicines, surgical approaches and radiation therapy. The office ensures trials adhere to clinical standards in quality and safety in delivery of care at the IWK, and with clinical partners throughout the Maritimes.  

Robert Bortolussi Mentorship Award: Dr. Andrew Stadnyk, professor of pediatrics, division of gastroenterology and nutrition and microbiology and immunology

Andrew has been recognized with notable awards for his excellence in research, and for being an outstanding teacher at Dalhousie, and, as noted in his nomination, Andy has always stood out as a trusted confidant of his trainees, caring for their social and emotional needs as well as their education. Former students shared their sentiments in his nomination too. "I couldn't have asked for a better mentor! I was an international student and Andy went above and beyond to ensure I was comfortable in a new country and provided unwavering support for my research." "Throughout my Master’s degree, Dr. Stadnyk was always available to talk about my research, help problem solve, and have conversations about what career path would be most fulfilling for me."

Patient Safety Champion Award: Kurt Buckland, team lead for sterile products

Kurt’s nomination spoke to the high-quality standards to ensure quality and safety that compounding of sterile preparations requires. This is especially true of neonatal and pediatric patients, where parenteral therapies are more complex. The nomination gave us insight into the challenges of Kurt’s work, including product quality issues for sterile compounds, which makes it imperative that the environment where these products are prepared is free of contamination, and that staff training and quality assurance is maintained. Kurt is an exceptional mentor and role model for new staff and learners. He inspires those around him with a calm demeanor as he strives to maintain safe practices for IWK patients and families. 

Quality Improvement Award: Dr. Katie Gardner, Pediatric Emergency Medicine

As a leader, Katie has learned real life lessons about the challenges of bringing about change in health care. She has a keen instinct for when to push and when to let things go in her decisions. To move forward, she brings enthusiasm and builds collaborative relationships across domains. For example, in her initiative to reduce planned return visits to the Emergency Department, she worked with physicians, nurse practitioners and ward clerks to facilitate virtual visits for select patients. Her iterative approach and attention to relationships not only led to meaningful change, but also a sense of belonging and importance to many on the team. Also of note is Katie’s involvement in the Emergency Department’s Patient and Family Leadership Council and supervision of a Pediatric Emergency Medicine trainee in research to better understand outcomes for patients in our department who use interpretation services.

Quality Improvement Award: Dr. Jessica Mills, pediatric surgeon

As a champion for quality patient care, through her hard work and dedication, Jessica helped establish the IWK as a certified member of the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Jessica is the lead for this program which is time consuming, and requires a large amount of dedication which speaks to how much Jessica cares for her patients, and all others treated by our institution. After achieving certification for the IWK, Jessica continues to be at the forefront of quality improvement in surgery. In one of her recent quality improvement initiatives, she helped IWK Health join as a centre in a study evaluating the efficacy of chlorhexidine versus betadine in preventing skin infections. This study involves the participation of patients and families as research participants, providing them an opportunity to participate in a research initiative aimed at reducing surgical site infections in neonates. 

Equity & Belonging Award: Courtney Pennell, RN and Indigenous Health Consultant

Courtney received not just one, but four nominations. Each nominator was inspired by your exceptional work ethic and how you exhibit unwavering determination, arriving at work each day to “rip down barriers,” educate your colleagues, and challenge those around you. Your nominators stated with gratitude that you have taken it upon yourself to introduce elements of your heritage for display at the IWK, particularly on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Day. Additionally, you have included your son and sister in performances at the IWK Indigenous Peoples' Celebration, further enriching our understanding of Indigenous traditions. Courtney is an active member of the Respectful Workplace Action Group. She took time and care to create a guideline about land acknowledgement, through which many have learned to reflect and personalize the offering of an acknowledgement. 

Workplace Safety Champion Award: Dr. Doug Sinclair, VP, Medicine, Quality and Safety

Doug is not only an advocate for physicians but also patients and staff on a daily basis. He leads by example and attends meetings with Solutions for Patient Safety and other groups to ensure his voice of support is heard. The nomination highlighted that Doug has helped to break down silos with the physicians group. Physician representation wasn’t always a component of the policies and supports offered through Occupational Health, Safety and Wellness, and now there is physician representation on all of our working groups and physician peer supporters. Throughout the pandemic, Doug co-led the Incident Management Committee’s weekly meetings to ensure that all patients, staff and physicians were being heard and supported. Doug’s calm demeanor and effective leadership ensured that we were proactively leading the way and keeping staff, physicians and patients safe.   

John Lindsay Sr IWK Humanitarian Award: Roshanak Sadeghi-Zadeh. director, people & belonging

Roshanak leads in a manner that is driven to remove barriers to achieving goals, but even more importantly to equity and belonging. “But why?” is a common question she asks, which is then promptly followed by “How do we?” She is not satisfied with status quo and insists there is room to do better, even in traditional structures. In her work she has frequently reached out to community partners, unions, and professional colleagues to ask tough questions and challenges us all to consider our current policies and processes and understand where they create barriers. As a leader, she shares her own perspectives and personal journey with coworkers and as part of her community engagement. The nomination highlighted that team members admire how Roshanak dissolves the concept that equity, diversity, inclusion, reconciliation and accessibility are ‘someone else’s’ responsibility.

Ruby Blois Scholarship: Chloe Flynn

The scholarship committee looks for a nurse who has contributed to excellence in the practice of other nurses, sharing knowledge to advance best practice and clinical experience, conducting nursing research or a policy or leadership practicum that will make a novel contribution to the health of women, children, youth, and their families. The committee also looks for a person who makes recommendations to advance nursing practice. including areas of practice such as informatics, leadership, health human resources or population health. Chloe’s application demonstrated evidence of her commitment to ongoing development as a nursing scholar and the members of the scholarship committee were very impressed by her application.

1. $10 gift card for all IWK team members

The $10 gift card campaign for all IWK team members, made possible through the Community Cares Grant, starts today. All IWK team members can redeem a $10 gift card through our All Stars platform. This is a way of saying thank you for all your contributions this year.

The Community Cares gift card campaign will run from today until Jan. 31, 2024. Points not claimed by Jan. 31, 2024, will disappear from your account. You can claim your gift card and enjoy it, or pay it forward by giving it to a colleague you appreciate. Please note this thank you campaign is for those hired before Dec. 14, 2023. Anyone hired after that date will be eligible for future recognition initiatives.

If you are having trouble accessing All Stars, please contact [email protected] for assistance. If you have not received an email from [email protected] about your gift card, please check your junk email.

This thank you campaign was made possible by the Community Cares Grant from the IWK Foundation.

2. IWK Tree Lighting 2023

photos by Ryan Wilson

Last week, we safely gathered in the Newman Gardens and lit our 2023 Christmas tree and gardens to ring in the holiday season! We had a big help from 3.5-year-old Calum MacDonald who pulled the candy cane switch with his big brother, Lauchlin, and IWK Health CEO, Dr. Krista Jangaard.

On October 10, 2023, Kathleen Patterson brought her son, Calum, to the emergency department at the Inverness Regional in Cape Breton for a suspected ear infection. Within 24 hours, Calum was diagnosed with leukaemia at IWK Health and began his chemo treatment three days later. Since then, Calum has lived at the IWK for the past two months, undergoing two rounds of treatment so far and requiring one more in the coming weeks.

In the new year, Calum and his family will head to Toronto to receive a bone marrow transplant. With only a 25 per cent chance of a match, big brother, Lauchlin, was tested as a bone marrow donor and was found to be an exact match, meaning, at only eight years old, Lauchlin will be Calum’s donor for the transplant.

In addition to the transplant, Calum and his family are looking forward to celebrating Calum’s “first” birthday during the 2024 leap year! Born on February 29, Calum will be turning four years old this year, and while the family will be in Toronto with both boys recovering, they still plan to celebrate in whatever ways they can.

Thank you to all the folks involved in lighting up our Newman Gardens again this year, including Perpetual Services for installing the lights, the Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency for escorting our special guest, and, of course, Santa for taking time out of his busy schedule to visit us.

Please take some time this holiday season to stroll the gardens and enjoy the lights as a community.

4. IWK Health joins Using Labs Wisely

Left to right: Lori Beach, Clinical Biochemist; Erica Smith, MLTII; Tiffany Burns-Langley, LIS Coordinator; Jan Kennie, manager, Core Lab

A team at IWK health recently received recognition for its participation in Using Labs Wisely—a national consortium with Choosing Wisely Canada.

Lab testing is the single highest volume of medical activity. While the majority of these tests provide diagnostic insights important to patient care, not all tests are needed. Low-value lab tests can exhaust health care resources and lead to false positives, unnecessary follow-ups, and potential harm to patients.

There are many drivers of low-value lab testing. It can be the result of individual decisions on the frontlines; more often than not, it is the product of antiquated systems and organizational practices that repeatedly nudge people toward ordering more than what is necessary. Uncovering and modifying these habits and processes takes time, the involvement of multiple contributors, and a commitment to continuous quality improvement.

"Our success with the Using Labs Wisely initiative has earned credits for the organization towards becoming a Choosing Wisely Canada Hospital," says Lori Beach, clinical biochemist. "Stewardship of laboratory resources helps ensure that the best testing is available for our patients when needed."

Choosing Wisely Canada is bringing together hospitals across Canada in a concerted effort to curb low-value testing so that available lab resources could be put to better use. Participating hospitals will contribute to implementing change, sharing data and learning from each other and best practices.

5. The Family Library is open again

from Andrea Reynolds, coordinator, IWK Family Library and IWK patient/family pamphlets

For the past three years, the library space had been re-assigned for staff use and was closed to patients and families. We are pleased to announce that over the past few weeks, we have been busy behind the scenes preparing to re-open the library doors and the library is now available for use once again.

The Family Library officially re-opened on Tuesday, Dec. 12. Patients, families, and staff are welcome to come to the library located on Level 2, across from the Heart & Hearth Café in the University Avenue site of IWK Health.

We have a wonderful selection of Christmas movies and picture books to borrow as well as health books and resources written for patients/families. We also carry comic books, colouring books, chapter books, picture books, young adult novels, and popular fiction novels for parents/visitors.

Please let your patients/families know they can visit The Family Library again. Staff are welcome to borrow items as well. The Family Library is open 9:30am–5pm, Tuesday–Friday (closed Mondays and weekends).

6. Hiring training and support

from Arlene MacAskill, senior consultant recruitment & retention

Recruitment training for hiring leaders (manager, director, VP or physician lead)

If you are a hiring leader with direct reports, we are offering training on what is new, what is improved and what is important for you to know to be an effective, inclusive hiring leader. We have virtual and in-person options as follows (note, there is no need to sign up for the Teams sessions).

• Jan. 24, 2023, Teams
• Feb. 21, 2023, In person
• March 20, 2023, Teams

Recruitment training for executive/administrative assistants supporting hiring leaders

If you are an executive/administrative assistant supporting a hiring leader (manager, director, VP or physician lead) with direct reports, we welcome you to join in one of the following sessions:

• Jan. 9, 1-3pm, Teams
• Jan. 23, 10-noon, Teams

See the Events page on Pulse for Teams login information.

8. Have your voice heard: org-wide mentorship program

IWK Health is in the initial stages of creating an org-Wide mentorship program (launching in 2024), and your input on how it is designed is needed.

No one knows better than you what will be needed to ensure this program is a success. This is your opportunity to share your thoughts about what the program should look like, what support will be needed—for mentors and mentees—and to give your ideas on how the IWK can show our appreciation to incredible Mentors. 

Please take a few minutes to fill out these three quick and anonymous surveys:

• Mentee considerations
• Mentor considerations
• General mentorship considerations

If you're interested in taking part in the working group, or if you have any questions about the program, please contact Lisa Clements-Titcombe, professional development consultant.

9. Spotted at the IWK

Left to right: Christmas tree (Bridget Pinaud) and Gingerbread cookie (Emily Woodgate)

Two IWK nurses specialized in wound ostomy and continence, Emily Woodgate and Bridget Pinaud, were spotted roaming the halls this week in their festive, and inflatable, costumes. The two dressed up because a long-term patient needed some cheering up. Kudos to these two!

10. Spotting legal issues early can improve health

Exciting news, the IWK's Family Legal Health Information Clinic is expanding.

Legal issues are often at the core of the social determinants of health. It can be hard to tell if a health problem has a legal solution. If you’re not sure if your patient/client is describing a legal problem, or you’re wondering if the Family Legal Health Program (FLHP) can help, contact an IWK Social Worker (902-470-8065) or the FLHP at [email protected].

Download the FLHP reference guide for more information on the program as well as health and the law.

12. The holiday gift that keeps giving: IWK Care Catalogue

For the fourth consecutive year, Bruce Automotive Group is sponsoring the IWK Care Catalogue and Wish Book. From now until Dec. 31, they will match all donations up to $20,000. This is a meaningful and thoughtful way to celebrate the holidays with loved ones, all while supporting women, gender diverse patients, children and youth at the IWK.

13. An Accreditation thank you

from Jane Palmer, director, Quality and Patient Safety & Patient Experience, and Chantal LeBlanc, Accreditation coordinator

A heartfelt thank you to all IWK Health staff, physicians, researchers, and volunteers who worked diligently to successfully prepare us for our accreditation onsite survey last week. Many of you truly went above and beyond, and we want you to know how much your time and commitment is appreciated.

We have a lot to be proud of with some identified areas for improvement. As we move into 2024, together, we will work towards enhancing the quality and safety of care for our patients and families and those who work at IWK, with the goal of being accreditation ready, every day

14. Are improved transitions to adult care part of your New Year’s plan?

Are you booking team meetings for the new year? 

Consider inviting the Transition Team (aka Lindsay MacKinnon and Jackie Pidduck) to a team meeting. We love to help teams recognize the great work they are doing to support youth and families to prepare for adult care, including:

• Individualized planning to help build the skills needed to manage the youth’s health care,
• A coordinated transfer of care that includes the family and the primary care provider, and
• Secure attachment to adult care, paying particular attention to youth who face more challenges making that connection to adult care.

We want to hear what’s going well for your team, how you made those things happen, and what difference it has made for your patients and your team. We can also provide you with some resources and tools that could help.

Get a jump on your New Year’s plans and email [email protected] to book a spot today!

Looking for a quick transition win?

Refer a family to You’re in Charge, our self-management workshop for youth with health conditions and their caregivers. The next session runs on January 23 and February 6. Let them know that You’re in Charge is peer-led with young adults who are in the adult health care system. You can share with them that YIC provides an opportunity to meet other youth and families who are navigating life as the youth takes on more responsibility for their health in preparation for adulthood.

For more information, reach out to Lindsay at you’[email protected].

• Ala Negahban, dietetic technician
• Allison Dupres, unit aide
• Amy Macinnes, unit aide
• Anne Pilmer, registered nurse
• Camila Torres-Martinez, industrial engineering student
• Caroline Avecilla, registration & scheduling clerk
• Gilda Cheung, administrative assistant director

• Jenna Kaulbach, youth care worker
• Jenna Zwicker, coordinator staffing
• Kathy Janz, physiotherapist
• Kendra Barry, registered nurse
• Mark Hamlin, industrial engineering student
• Sophie Weston-Wong, admitting clerk
• Sunidhi Subash S Narayanan, ward clerk

A. Stacie Colwell

Abhi Rawal

Alexa Macdonald

Allison Jenkins

Amy Baker

Ana Medina

Andy Chan

Angela Kirby

Anne Jubis

Annie MacEachern

Anton Marsman

Ashleigh Hart

Ashley Moriarty

Barbara Webster

Bethany Lander

Billi-Jo Warren

Cara McCallum

Catherine Ross x2

Charlotte Green

Chelsea Coady x3

Christine Pritchett

Daniel Keefe

Danielle Ellsworth

Darlene McKinnon

Deanna McPhee

Debbie Balsor

Debbie Feltmate

Debbie Gautier-James

Debbie Thompson

Elisha York

Elizabeth Schurman

Ellen Macgregor x3

Erica Smith

Erika Robinson

Erin Cameron

Esther Macdonald x2

Grace Trigg

Haley Mackenzie

Heather Bartholomew

Heather Follett

Heather Keeping

Heather Luedey

Hesham El Koshairi x2

Jaime Perrin

James Bentley

Jana Jenson

Jane Crouse

Janie Cluett

Jason Purcell

Jelisa Gallant

Jennifer Foster

Jennifer Jollymore

Jennifer Williams

Jessica Dunlevy

Jessica Williams

Jillian Maclean x2

Julie Mitchell

Kaitlyn Sheffield

Karen Burke

Karen Carter

Karen Macaulay

Karine Dostie

Katia McIntosh

Kerry Fraser

Kevin Wong

Kimberley Smolenaars

Laura Goldie x2

Laura Pellow

Lauren Hanes

Lauren Robar

Leona Canam

Lindsay Cain

Lisa DeWolfe

Liza MacRae

Maggie Hebert

Mallory Macleod

Marguerite Chidiac

Meagan Turner

Mehnaz Karani

Melanie Mackinnon

Melissa Foley

Meredith Pike

Michael Sangster

Micheline Briand

Michelle Houghton

Morgan Benjamin

Mya Robia

Naomi Alleyne

Narendra Vakharia

Natalie Corbett

Nicole Addison

Nicole Smith

Patti Douglas x2

Penelope Campbell-Lownie

Rose Amaral

Samantha Lenahan

Sara Aucoin

Sara Reid

Sarah Grant

Sarah McIsaac

Sawsan Hasan

Seneade Smith

Shauna Wilcox

Sophie Beck

Sophie Blouin

Sotiria Tsirigotis

Stephanie Munroe

Tabitha McKinnon x2

Tam Tran

Tammy Humphreys

Tanya Murray

Trenton Ward

Trinity McGuire

Viki Wright

Kudos call-out

To: Naomi Alleyne, RN, MSNU

From: Abby Carrigan

Values demonstrated: Acting from the heart, Tackling our challenges

“Thank you, Naomi! Even on our hardest days, you go above and beyond for our patients and staff members. You always make sure we are taken care of, both physically and emotionally. Thank you for being a consistent reminder that MSNU is a family full of support. We appreciate you & your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed!”

17. Recruitment bonus opportunities

To support recruiting qualified external candidates, these positions qualify for a referral bonus. If you refer an external candidate who is hired, you could qualify for a $1000 or $500 referral bonus. Just ensure they mention your referral in their cover letter when applying. See the Recruitment Incentives Policy for more details. 

• Occupational Therapist, FIOS / Requisition ID: 167475, Permanent  
• Clinical Psychologist, FIOS / Requisition ID: 167476, Permanent  
• Administrative Assistant to Director / Requisition ID: 168788, Permanent
• Evening/Weekend Clinical and Operational Services Manager / Requisition ID: 161545, Temporary
• Medical Laboratory Technologist I, Core Lab / Requisition ID: 166909, Permanent
• Medical Laboratory Technologist I, Core Lab / Requisition ID: 167012, Permanent
• Consultant, Planning & Improvement / Requisition ID: 163447, Permanent
• Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, Diagnostic Imaging / Requisition ID: 160240, Permanent
• CT/IR Technologist / Requisition ID: 160950, Permanent
• Radiology Technologist II, Breast Imaging / Requisition ID: 162211, Permanent
• Clinical Psychologist, Pediatric Rehabilitation Service / Requisition ID: 157408, Permanent
• Clinical Genomics Technologist I / Requisition ID: 157453, Temporary
• Registered Nurse, Emergency Department / Requisition ID: 150902, Temporary
• Registered Nurse, Youth Forensic Services / Requisition ID: 141895, Permanent
• Registered Nurse, Emergency Department / Requisition ID: 151379, Permanent

18. Soci@l St@ff

Each issue we shine a light on an IWK colleague or partner making a splash on the social media scene. If you'd like us to profile you, or an IWK social media superstar you like to follow, drop us a line. Don't forget to Like, Share and Retweet with #IWK, #IWKResearch and #IWKNursing.

19. Upcoming events

Here are some upcoming events at the IWK or that might be of professional interest to staff and physicians. For more event listings, check Pulse Events. To add your event to this list, contact Communications & Public Affairs.

December

• Pediatric Grand Rounds Christmas Quiz — Dec. 20, 2023

January

• Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction training — Jan. 23–March 12, 2024
• Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction training — Jan. 25–March 14, 2024

20. Professional/health-related awareness dates

January

• Family Literacy Day — Jan. 27
• National Kids & Vaccines Day — Jan. 27
• Data Privacy Day — Jan. 28
• Data Privacy Week — Jan. 21–27

Are we missing something? Submit your awareness day/event by email.

Pulse Newsletter is produced by Communications & Public Affairs. To submit ideas or content, please contact Becky Chapman. Please have submissions in by Thursday morning, 10am, for same-week issues.