When BScN student Andrea Kallumadyil found out that she was the recipient of a Sopman Humanitarian Award, she admits that at first she felt a bit of imposter syndrome.
“I wondered if I had done anything worthy of an award like that,” says Kallumadyil.
However, after meeting the Sopman Family at the award celebration, and hearing stories about the other award winners, she realized that she was in the company of so many healthcare workers who were being recognized for the genuine care they provide their patients.
“More than getting the award, reading the nomination letter was validating. It was nice to know that someone saw and recognized the work I had done, and that I was providing good care,” says Kallymadyil.
Recognizing compassion in caring for patients
The Sopman Humanitarian Awards were established over four decades ago by the Sopman family after witnessing the compassionate care received a loved one. Each year, the awards recognize emerging physicians, surgeons and nurses, who go above and beyond in their ability to demonstrate compassion and humanity in the care of their patients.
Kallumadyil was nominated for the care she provided a patient in the Psychiatric Emergency Services Unit (PESU) of a Toronto area hospital during her community placement.
The patient had very severe obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and wounds on both legs that needed to be addressed. However, because of the patient’s significant fear of contamination they had not received wound care for many months.
“It would be easy for a health care provider to get frustrated in these types of situations or to think that this person does not care about their health,” says Kallumadyil. “But in the PESU, you realize quickly that unless you address the psychological concerns of your patient, you will only continue to provide them with fragmented care.”
Providing good care
Drawing on her previous experience as the Director of Health and Wellness for a retirement home, Kallumadyil spent a lot of time with the patient over the course of two days, building a rapport and gaining their trust. At the patient’s request, only Kallumadyil could in the end provide them with wound care, which took several hours to complete.
This level of intensive care highlighted for Kallumadyil the importance of student nurses, and the impact they can have during their placements. She knows how difficult it would have been for a nurse with many other patients, to have spent such a significant amount of time with a single patient.
This experience reinforced for Kallumadyil the very reason she chose to pursue nursing in the first place. Coming from a family of nurses, she only recently considered this career shift because she recognized the considerable leadership role nurses play across healthcare.
“It doesn’t always feel like people are in healthcare for the right reasons, not everyone goes above and beyond, but the staff at the PESU modelled that it just takes a few extra minutes to understand what a patient needs and build rapport and that can go a long way in changing someone’s care trajectory,” says Kallumadyil.
Her care for her patient during her placement not only addressed their physical wounds but also led to a chain of events that put the patient on the path to healing.
“Literally and metaphorically, we were able to peel back layers for this patient, which led us to help them figure out their housing situation and receive care from wound care specialists. Making the effort to sit with this patient and listening to their concerns helped them develop a new sense of trust in the health care system,” says Kallumadyil.
Working in the PESU and caring for patients with mental health concerns is something Kallumadyil sees herself doing long-term. Being the first point of interaction someone might have with the healthcare system is an opportunity, she says, to address someone’s physical and mental health needs and make a difference in their life.