It has been said that one of the most crucial skills for a nurse to possess is the ability to adapt. CK Public Health nurses have proven that to be true in the face of the COVID-19 emergency being declared in Chatham-Kent. The CK Public Health Nurse Managers are no exception.
Stacy, Marnie and Betty are all CK Public Health managers who also hold proud accreditation as Registered Nurses. Formerly responsible for managing the School Health Team (Stacy), Healthy Growth and Development Team (Marnie) and the Infectious Disease and Emergency Management Team (Betty), each manager was assigned a completely new role when the Incident Management System was implemented in response to the pandemic. This shift resulted in managers not only having to quickly adapt to new workloads, increased hours and expanded responsibilities, but has also required them to both work alongside and manage new nurses and staff, as well.
“Through this pandemic, we have had the opportunity to work with people we wouldn’t normally have the chance to work with and in different ways than we would normally work. This has been a big leadership and development opportunity – to say the least.” – Marnie Van Vlymen, Registered Public Health Nurse
The Nursing Managers have been responding to the local COVID-19 in a number of different capacities and have been supporting their teams to do the same. Overseeing the demanding contact tracing process, liaising with community partners in order to build their capacity to adapt to changing processes and policies, and working alongside local facilities in outbreak are just a few of the many, many daily responsibilities that have been taken on by Nurse Managers and their staff. This has resulted in the necessary “all for one and one for all” approach to be taken.
“The Public Health Nurse Managers are collaborating in ways we haven’t ever before. We are all working towards a common goal, but are each responsible for different tasks in order to get us there.” – Stacy Rybansky, Registered Public Health Nurse
The Nurse Managers, along with additional members of the Incident Management System, are operationalizing a revised version of the Emergency Plan that Chatham-Kent had in place.
“We have really strong relationships with our emergency management partners, and it’s great to see those relationships have gotten stronger through this.” – Betty Schepens, Registered Public Health Nurse
Despite the increased need for Nurse Managers to be reachable at all hours, not knowing what each day ahead of them will entail, and the constant “rolling with the punches” approach their new work lives have caused them – each agrees on the fact that their success in managing the response to COVID-19 in Chatham-Kent has been achievable because of the staff around them.
“The whole ‘We’re all in this together’ has been so much more than just a catchy tagline for us during these last couple of months. We have been able to put our faith in, lean on and learn from the team members around us, and I can’t imagine navigating these waters alongside anyone else.”
– Marnie Van Vlymen, Registered Public Health Nurse