First-time nurse notices 'small details' that matter to families
By Louise Kinross
Hailey Ciordas is a registered practical nurse who joined Holland Bloorview as a new graduate last August. Since then she's received outstanding Spotlight awards from parents on our complex-care unit. "Hailey has a remarkable ability to notice the small details that really matter to patients and families," one wrote. "[My son] needs warm water at 7:30 a.m. This is in his care plan, but Hailey is the only one who starts boiling the water as soon as her shift begins at 7 a.m." Hailey was part of Ontario's Nursing Graduate Guarantee (NGG) program, which means she benefited from three months of mentoring by a Holland Bloorview nurse to consolidate her skills.
BLOOM: How did you get into this field?
Hailey Ciordas: I originally worked as a child and youth care worker. I worked for seven years in emergency youth shelters, and I liked the mental health aspect of that. But when the government closed the child advocate's office, they slashed a lot of those positions. I wanted to be able to do more, so I applied for nursing and went to Algonquin College. I have a lot of nurses in my family. My mom is a pediatric nurse.
BLOOM: What does a typical day here look like?
Hailey Ciordas: I usually have two kids I'm caring for. I come in and read their care plans and figure out what time each child needs their medications, feeds, and other specific things the parent wants done, like turning them or having their g-tubes vented. In the morning, we may give the child a bed bath, brush their teeth, suction them, and get them dressed and up in their chair if they're going down to therapies or to school. They still have that typical kid routine of getting ready in the morning. Wound dressings and showers and baths are other things I do.
BLOOM: What do you love about your job?
Hailey Ciordas: I love hearing my kids laugh, even if it's not something I've done. Hearing them find joy in little things. Maybe a kid has a straight face and hasn't been talking, but then you go into the room and they look over and say 'Hi.' It's exciting to see them make progress, and how that progress comes from physiotherapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) and nursing all coming together to support them.
BLOOM: What are challenges?
Hailey Ciordas: I'm a new nurse and I'm learning quite a bit for the first time, so that's a challenge. As part of my hire I spent three months with a nurse here, Ferlisa Sylio (see photo left below), and she was a wonderful teacher. The Nursing Graduate Guarantee program is meant to prevent new nurses from exiting the field because they're overwhelmed. I don't think I would have been as successful without it.
The younger nurses here who have done the program understand the learning curve of your first nursing job. If I'm having a rough day, they're very validating. Eventually I will be where they are in terms of confidence and ability.
Other challenges would be understanding the mental load parents carry, and how exhausted they may be, and finding the best approach to work together. I like to do things I know will make life easier for both of us.
Of course every nurse struggles with time management at the beginning. Even now, time gets away from you.
BLOOM: How did you decide to work with children?
Hailey Ciordas: I've always liked kids and I've been told I'm good with kids. I find children need more trusted adults in their lives. If we can support them and they can put their faith in us, then we're one more person they can add to their team. That way they don't feel like they're alone, having all of these things done to them, instead of them having a say.
BLOOM: What qualities do you need to be good in your job?
Hailey Ciordas: You need to be passionate about the work, detail-oriented, and willing to learn 100 per cent. You need to be flexible, because things can happen on a shift that you didn't expect. You could have something go wrong with a vent, or a g-tube comes out. You need to know how to respond and who to go to for support.
A great thing is the seasoned nurses we have. I still have times when I need some extra help and I know who to ask to show me what to do. And that extra help doesn't just come from nursing, but from our unit clerk, an OT or PT or other specialties within the hospital. If someone else has worked more frequently than you with a child, perhaps they have a better rapport, or they can tell you if the child was feeling off today, or wanted to talk about something.
BLOOM: What emotions come with your role?
Hailey Ciordas: Anxiety is a big thing. But when you learn a task, you feel self-fulfillment. Some things you might do 100 times, but on the 101st time, it's finally easier: 'I can troubleshoot this now. I know what I'm doing.'
There's quite a bit of happiness, seeing good things come out. And there is some sadness when something doesn't work the way you want it to.
BLOOM: How do you manage stress?
Hailey Ciordas: I like finding quieter spaces where there aren't call bells going off. If I'm on a break, I'll step off the floor, so I have time to myself. At home, I spend a lot of time with my dog Lilah and being outside. She's an American bulldog. You get that unconditional love.
Because my mom is a nurse I can debrief with her if there's a skill I struggled with that day, or I'm not sure why something happened. She's a good sounding board.
I feel I can talk openly here. At other places I found you can't fully voice your thoughts because of pushback. Here I don't feel there's a power difference between a manager and me. We can share thoughts and opinions and work together to come up with a solution.
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