This text is part of the special Nursing Profession notebook
Visionaries and mobilizers, the 2023 finalists of the Florence awards in the category Leadership are in many ways sources of inspiration for their peers. Portraits of three leaders who, through their personal and professional commitment, create synergy between the members of their teams.
Andy Pelletier-Laliberté: never short of ideas
Create an IUD installation clinic without a budget and in just a few months… This is the kind of challenge faced by Andy Pelletier-Laliberté, senior nursing advisor – specialized nurse practitioner (IPS) component, at the CIUSSS de la Capitale- National. “I am a master in life and in my work,” he says. I always have a million ideas, and I love seeing that I can make them happen with few resources and that they can really help people. »
How was this possible? “We already had the premises and the necessary equipment,” he says. Then, NPs have days when they can take time off from their regular position to provide care, carry out training or research. I convinced five of them to participate in the project by donating a day every four weeks. »
As soon as it opened in January, the IUD insertion clinic was a victim of its success: a waiting list had to be created. “It works for a day or a day and a half per week, but that’s not enough,” he says. We will open more days. »
This initiative, which took shape in Lower Town of Quebec, made it possible to notice other needs. The CIUSSS will therefore soon open a specialized sexual health clinic which will offer services for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections as well as for trans people.
Andy Pelletier-Laliberté has also recently become co-head of the team of nurses on call for victims of sexual assault, which offers the forensic kit service. “Before, I was on call myself, but when we started adding IPS to the team, it was natural for me to take responsibility. Then, we will extend this service in Charlevoix. »
Caught for the interview while returning from Portneuf, he regularly travels the large territory of the CIUSSS to understand its realities in order to find solutions. “It helps me to have influence, I think. Also, when I have a project, I can talk to several people about it until I find the right one to carry it out quickly. »
To have a greater scope of practice and increase their power of influence, those who began practicing with a college diploma sought a bachelor’s degree, then a master’s degree.
His motivation has always been to improve services for marginalized and vulnerable clients. He also worked until recently as an NP in primary care at the Refugee Health Clinic of the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale. He is now supporting his former team to open up services for asylum seekers and for treatment of latent tuberculosis.
Why this unwavering interest in this type of clientele? “I don’t come from a wealthy family, so it made me want to give opportunities to people who had less,” he says. Then, I quickly saw in my practice that, when we do a small gesture for vulnerable clients, we receive infinite recognition, so it’s rewarding and makes you want to give even more. »
Valérie Pelletier: closer to her dream
Valérie Pelletier always wanted to work with children at CHU Sainte-Justine, and it ultimately took her 24 years to get there as director of nursing. Already, when she was completing her college diploma (DEC) in nursing, she volunteered at Sainte-Justine to improve her chances of being hired there. She also worked as a beneficiary attendant to enhance her resume. “As surprising as it may seem today, 28 years ago, it was very difficult to find work, while several nurses were retired without being replaced for budgetary reasons,” she says.
Finally, after her DEC, she learned that Sainte-Justine only hired high school graduates. Saint-Luc hospital made room for her on weekends, on call, while she prepared for her baccalaureate during the week. Two years later, her hours were gone and she found a job at the Jewish General Hospital. Once her baccalaureate was completed, she could have entered Sainte-Justine on a recall list. But her employer offered her a permanent position as evening head nurse assistant in cardiology: she accepted it. At the same time, she was working on her master’s degree.
She then held promotions, notably as head of emergency, then as clinical-administrative coordinator and deputy director of front-line services and nursing care. In 2015, when the CIUSSS du Centre-Ouest-de-I’Île-de-Montréal was created, she had a great gift: she was able to take over as deputy director of front-line early childhood services, including all mother-child care, community organizations for families, schools, etc. She was getting closer to her dream.
Then, when Sainte-Justine opened the position of director of nursing in 2019, Valérie told herself she was ready for this challenge. And she got it! “My role is to ensure that managers take care of their staff so that they can take care of patients,” she explains. There are many young executives and they need to be supported. Happy teams provide better care. »
At the same time, it had to navigate the context of COVID-19, where it deployed teams to lend a helping hand, particularly in CHSLDs. Then, last year, she dealt with the respiratory virus crisis, which led to a big increase in pediatric hospitalizations.
“We had to see how we could take care of all these patients and help the network reopen pediatric beds closed during COVID,” she says. Expertise had been lost, so training had to be done. »
Now she can focus on the challenge of understaffing. “I have to always be innovative to better welcome new nurses, who suffered a lot during COVID, when there were fewer internships, a lot of stress, anxiety and isolation. They need to be well supported and well prepared to work in a constantly changing environment. »
Adila Zahir: meeting the challenges, one after the other
“Don’t forget to say that you left me to my own devices during COVID-19. » This is what Yasmine, 16, spontaneously said to her mother when she told her that she had an interview that day with a journalist. “And it’s true,” says Adila Zahir. I am a single mother and I have always done everything for her. But, when the pandemic hit, there was so much work that I had to leave her alone a lot. I once left the house at 11 p.m. to go to work, and I didn’t know when I was going to come back. She had tears in her eyes. I will always remember it. »
Obviously, the nurse has the sacred fire. However, nothing predestined her to choose this profession when she left Morocco to settle in Quebec in 1995. Her first passion: international economic relations. But a visit from his newly diagnosed diabetic mother changed his destiny. “I wanted to take care of her, so I started reading about diabetes,” she says. I learned to recognize the signs, to give him insulin, etc. But I never thought I was good enough. »
In 2001, she began a bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of Montreal. She then worked in nephrology at Saint-Luc hospital, then at the Royal Victoria. But hemodialysis, which was done particularly on Saturdays, made her reality as a single mother difficult. She therefore branches off towards the women’s pavilion, but there too, work-family balance is difficult. She ultimately opts for infection prevention and control.
“I was a little lost when I arrived at this position,” she says. It was very different from what I had done before, I was not at the bedside of patients, I found that my role lacked clarity. »
Her supervisor recommends that she complete training in infection prevention and control. She then completed specialized higher studies in the field at the University of Sherbrooke, then a master’s degree.
“These studies allowed me to better understand my role and develop a real interest in the field,” says the woman who then became head of the infection prevention and control department at the CIUSSS du Centre-Ouest-de-I’Île. -from Montreal.
His office was then located at the Jewish General Hospital, which in March 2020 became one of the first hospital centers in Quebec designated to receive patients with COVID-19. Adila Zahir and her team then had to establish safety practices. “All the other CIUSSS establishments were suddenly asking us to find out how to manage the crisis,” remembers Adila Zahir. It was quite a challenge. At the beginning, I myself was afraid and I had to encourage the workers who were afraid. »
Now that the crisis is over, she can invest more time in improving the reception and orientation of new nurses in her specialty.
“I am participating in the creation of content for an online orientation program offered by McGill University. Recruits are already benefiting from the first modules and retention has improved compared to 2019.”
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