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The nice thing about working in TB is that it's so diverse.
There's a huge patients' component which I absolutely love, and there's also
a huge advocacy
component which I really love too. It's a very dynamic position.
>>We work in one of the largest tuberculosis programs in Canada.
Every day a patient comes in, something is different.
She never leaves the patient alone. She makes sure,
and ensures that all parties, the necessary people
and the rest of her team is engaged in the process, and whatever consults need to
happen
it happens. And she follows up with
every patient that comes into the clinic. So no patient really
is left behind. >>The nice thing about TB is it's perfectly curable
and so it's always very special after all these years
to say to my patients, "hey we made it, we got there together"
and I'm usually greeted with a big hug, I get to know the patient very well, I'm
usually with them for a minimum of six
months, but a lot of times we have a relationship. I've had a few patients I've seen
in the community and
the happiness and the joy out of a bad situation
to see them turn around. >>You watch her being an advocate,
being a communicator, being a teacher,
being a friend and being a person who can set direction with her patient, easily.
>>A lot of patients, they're so distraught when they come in,
and being able to connect with them and seeing the light bulbs go off and
reassuring them, you know, "we're gonna get through this, you're gonna be okay
you did nothing wrong, this is not your fault."
A lot of people have a lot of blame. There is a stigma
around TB, and so the best part of my job is just being able to connect with people, and
really that's why I think I'm a nurse. I really love being with people and
people matter. >>She's right out
up close and personal with these patients, understanding their trajectory,
teaching them about it, and knowing that this is a potentially an infectious process.
She wants to understand, and let the patient understand that she empathizes
with what's going on with them, and they tend to listen to her
calm soothing voice that transcends the information that she's giving them.
They call her many names, Miss Julie
Doctor Julie,my care Julie. Whatever the names they're calling her
they come looking for her, because they believe her and
when someone's looking after you, that's what matters.
>>Compassion to me at the end of the day
really means being able to connect with someone in a meaningful way,
and not just my patients but
my team that I work with. The nice thing about working in tuberculosis
is that really compassion is all around you. I work very closely with the Public Health Department,
I work very closely with, for example, infection control,
our administration. Having people,
or the infrastructure, around you that really care about people, that enables
you to be
even more compassionate yourself.