Sunny Khangura, a Nurse Practitioner (NP) at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), works in the Neurosurgery Department at VGH with a diverse and highly skilled group of surgeons, residents, nursing, allied staff, educators and leadership team members. On any given day, Sunny and her team care for patients with a multitude of neurological complexities from various types of brain bleeds to patients with a wide range of brain tumours making her role as an NP varied and dynamic.
Sunny recently took us along for one of her shifts— documenting her day to give us a behind-the-scenes look at her role. Here's what she shared:
Getting ready to drive to work at 5:15 a.m. while listening to my audiobook! I just finished Atomic Habits by James Clear and am currently listening to Becoming by Michelle Obama.
Just completed morning rounds and reviewing the patient list with the neurosurgery residents. The purpose of morning rounds is to assess post-operative neurosurgery patients requiring a higher level of care as well as our more acutely ill patients requiring ongoing care in the Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit (NICU). I'm fortunate to work with such a supportive and dynamic group!
Providing medical updates about neurosurgery patients to our efficient and organized leadership team for appropriate bed management and flow. This involves input from various disciplines such as the neurosurgical team, nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech language therapy as well as other specialties.
I enjoy the collaborative work done by different disciplines which allows for all aspects of the patient's care needs to be met and supported. Here, I'm collaborating with members of the health-care team about a patient's care in the NICU. Neurosurgery resident Dr. Rizzuto, our clinical pharmacist Carly and one of our high acuity nurses Jennicar are all part of the exceptional team I get to work with.
Reviewing patient consults, labs and pending work up. Our patients come from all over the province and the Yukon. We work closely with patients and families to provide a holistic and patient centered approach to care while striving for best practice to ensure our patients receive exceptional care.
Inquisitively listening as one of our star residents teaches me some clinical pearls! Education and ongoing learning is imperative in my role to allow me to expand my knowledge base and provide exceptional care to patients and families alongside the highly skilled neurosurgical team.
Reflecting on the day and the work my team has done to support our COVID-19 response and how the pandemic has highlighted our team's ability to support one another through this challenging time. The leadership team has been paramount in supporting staff through coping with the changing working environment as well as managing any concerns associated with the pandemic. It has been apparent the leadership team has wanted to ensure patient and staff safety are a top priority.
Be sure to check out our Nursing Week campaign at @vchhealthcare on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as we profile new nurses across the regions every week during the month of May!