Krista McPhail   PCC on 4W

Thanks! It is an honor to get a Health Care Hero Award. I don’t feel that I deserve it. I love my job because of the people I work with. I rely heavily on my Allied Health care team, doctors and especially my nurses.

Why did you choose to become an RN/PCC? I chose to become a nurse when my mom’s cancer progressed. She always encouraged me to become a nurse. I was living in Montreal studying fashion photography and I realized I wanted to do something different with my life, and I thought nursing would be rewarding. It was because of my nursing experience that my family was able to palliate my mom at home in Edmonton. My family and I were able to have quality of time together at the end. It was really beautiful.

How long have you worked at LGH? I started my career at LGH in September of 2006. I started as a New Grad on 4E.

What is your favourite part about what you do? I love working with the patients. No day is ever the same and it is never dull.

Do you have a favourite patient story (names can be anonymous of course)? I love seeing the patients come into the ward and overtime change and get better. One patient in particular stands out in my mind. When she first came to the unit she was irritable with my staff and had a challenging relationship with her daughter. The doctors thought that the patient had been living with untreated mental health issues for years. After a few weeks, the nurses care planning and a few medication adjustments, the patient’s irritability disappeared. Her daughter stated that she has never had such a nice relationship with her mother and was thankful for the good times they were able to have.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about working at LGH? I think that what we have at Lions Gate is something special. It has a community feel to it. I like the way you get to know a lot of people who work here and make this place great.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about your career history or how you got to where you are today? Inspirations etc? My mom and dad were a huge inspiration for me and always encouraged me to become a nurse. I look up to so many people I work with, Kristy Kennedy, my manager who taught me how to be a PCC, Dr. Kang, Dr. Maher, Dr. Comeau and Dr. Alimoradi who have taught me so many things about Geriatric Medicine, the Hospitalist and GP Doctors, the Allied Health Team and the nurses I work with inspire me every day.