Chris joined our team on September 1, 1991, as a part-time nurse in our OR and after 12 years she accepted a full-time position.
Just six years into her career with us, Chris was part of the move from the old hospital to our current location on Rolling Hills Drive. The recent 25th Anniversary celebrations of the move have stirred a range of wonderful memories for her.
“Moving from the old hospital to the new hospital was a once in a lifetime experience. It was exciting to do tours for the community including one for my daughters who were in Sparks at the time. It was so exciting and sad at the same time,” shared Chris.
Chris’ favorite memory at our hospital was her very first weekend on call when the team was dealt a very difficult situation.
While Dr. Scott, General Surgeon, was operating on a patient the nursing team was advised that that the table supporting the patient needed to be changed and that the patient would need to be repositioned. Chris was new to the OR, unsure of what to do, and relied on the expertise of her more experienced peers.
“I remember taking my instruments to MDRD (back then it was called CSR) and the technician seeing the fear in my eyes. She said to me, ‘Give me what you have, and I will give you back what you need’. I knew in that moment that is what a great place to work,” shared Chris.
In the end the patient was repositioned successfully, and the surgery continued as planned.
In 2008 Chris was part of the first MEDITECH Operating Room Management implementation where the team was introduced to computer documentation. Previously, everything was done with paper! Recently, Chris was part of the Build team in the OR for our MEDITECH Expanse implementation and thought it was a once in a lifetime project to be part of.
We went live with MEDITECH Expanse in September 2021 in partnership with Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, Collingwood General and Marine Hospital, and Georgian Bay General Hospital. Our new Health Information System provides a seamless integration of information between our hospitals, and we look forward to launching a new Patient Portal in the coming months.
When asked what experience with a patient impacted her most Chris shared a time when a patient had a rupture in their aorta called an abdominal aortic aneurysm - something she thought she would never see at our hospital.
“When Dr. Wang, Chief of Surgery, called me and told me that we would be performing surgery on the patient my jaw dropped. My heart was racing. That patient was a very lucky person that day. It took an incredible team to take that on and with such a great outcome for the patient. That was definitely a day to remember,” recalled Chris.
Over the years Chris has worked alongside many incredible teammates, some who joined her in the move from the old hospital to Rolling Hills Drive. Chris considers them her ‘other family’ and is grateful for their range of experience, knowledge, and mutual respect.
“Having worked here for such a long time I am proud to say that I still enjoy my job. Even when it is a hard day the team in the OR is one of the best and I am so happy and proud to be a member of it,” shared Chris.
We couldn’t agree with you more Chris! Thank you for all that you have done over your 31 years of service at our hospital.