WHGH Spotlight: Nurse who has dedicated her life to helping people, nominated for nursing excellence award
Kimberley Marshall, a registered nurse (RN) at West Haldimand General Hospital’s (WHGH) emergency department, has dedicated her life to helping people.
In fact, Kimberley, better known as Kimber-Jo, has been caring for patients as an RN for over 44 years.
And even after four decades on the job, Kimber-Jo’s commitment, dedication, and love for her patients are clearly evident.
“Patient care to me means providing the best possible care by being compassionate and empathetic at all times, even in the most difficult situations,” said Kimber-Jo. “To be an advocate for my patients and to assist in bringing about positive changes to the emergency department to enhance patient care.”
Kimber-Jo joined the WHGH family as an RN in the emergency department (ED) in 1999. In her role, she evaluates the patient’s conditions, administers treatment, and provides constant support to patients during recovery in the ED.
“The life of an ED nurse encompasses treating patients and their families from prenatal to the elderly. We must be knowledgeable in all aspects of care throughout the age continuum from minor illnesses and diseases to birthing babies to saving lives and comforting the dying. There is not one area of care in which the ED nurse does not participate. We help all those in crisis whether mental, physical, or spiritual. We go from putting on a simple dressing to full-blown life or death situations in a matter of seconds. I am proud to be a part of the ED team who provides this type of dedicated and specialized care for our community and surrounding areas.”
This past May, WHGH presented its first-ever Kelly Currie Nursing Excellence Award.
The award celebrates a nurse who demonstrates core behaviors and values that include role modeling, inspiring others, creativity, fostering accountability, creating a spirit of community, showing passion and commitment to improving the quality of care, and leading by example.
Kimber-Jo was one of seven nurses nominated for the award.
“I was surprised and honored at the same time to be nominated for the Kelly Currie Nursing Excellence Award. We have so many deserving staff members. I was truly moved that someone would consider me worthy of this nomination. As an older RN, I can only hope that I have effectively passed the torch on to the next generation of nurses – igniting their passion to keep on learning, growing, and developing their knowledge and skill to provide compassionate and excellent care always.”
When you read Kimber-Jo’s nomination, it is safe to say she accomplished that goal.
Here is what Kimber-Jo’s nominator had to say about her:
“Kimber-Jo is a highly creative leader in the emergency department who approaches a problem with optimism, curiosity, and a “can do” attitude. There is never a challenge that Kimber-Jo does not reach out to take on, and she will go above and beyond to find the right solution through engaging the right people in the process and always having what is right for the patient, family, and/or staff involved in mind. She is passionate about and very skilled in using data to define an issue and determine innovative solutions to resolve them. Kimber Jo is a respected ED nurse and advocate for patients and their families.
She also took on the leadership role of encouraging the use of our Medical Directives to each stakeholder and providing the rationale for their use, including best care for patients, decreasing ED wait times, and improving EMS offloads.
She is a masterful change manager and is currently involved in reshaping our care management model to primary care nursing, implementing fit to sit model, and maintaining a high level of engagement and positivity.
Her love for nursing always comes through as well as her passion for ensuring high-quality care for the communities we serve, and never takes her eye off of making sure our patients and families receive the care they need as well as smooth transitions to our community partners.”
After 44 years of service, Kimber-Jo says she plans to retire at the end of the year.
Without question, Kimber-Jo has had an incredible nursing career. She has been a mentor to many of our staff, providing support, guidance, leadership, and so much knowledge.
“As I look forward to my retirement at the end of this year, I look back on all my 44 years of nursing, and it has been an incredible journey. I am thankful and grateful for the career that has provided me with many amazing work and life experiences. I am proud to end my full-time at WHGH. It has been a privilege to work in the ED, and have been blessed to work with an outstanding staff throughout the hospital. I shall miss everyone, and I hope to be able to return to the ED as casual staff in 2023 – you can take the girl out of the ED, but you can’t take the ED out of THIS GIRL.”
Thank you, Kimber-Jo, for your dedication and care and for helping patients for over 44 years!
About the Kelly Currie Nursing Excellence Award
Nurse Kelly Currie had been a nurse for 31 years and was very well known and respected. Kelly worked at various hospitals over her career, including the Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Center, Dartmouth General Hospital, Norfolk General Hospital, and lastly, West Haldimand General Hospital, where she served as a Director of Inpatient Care and Clinical Educator.
Kelly passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Sunday, July 30, 2020, at the age of 52.
In May, Kelly’s colleagues wanted to do something in her memory and decided on naming the IPU’s palliative care suite – a space designed to provide patients and their families with a serene and comforting space as they navigate their end-of-life journey – in her memory. The room is now known as the Snowy Owl Room.
Kelly was a life-long member of the Girl Guides of Canada, beginning at the age of eight. She was the dedicated leader of Sparks, Brownies where she chose her name of Snowy Owl.
You can read more about Nurse Kelly Currie’s story by clicking here.
