Richa advocates for oncology patients through all stages of their care journey

Each year, Osler is proud to welcome new nursing graduates to its staff. In 2020, Registered Nurse (RN) Richa was one of those grads.

She first came to the Oncology and Palliative Care Unit at Brampton Civic Hospital as a student completing her clinical placements, and later joined the team as an RN after obtaining her nursing registration.

Every day, Richa and her team provide compassionate care to patients from Osler’s oncology, palliative and medicine programs.

A lifelong student turned mentor

Since beginning her Osler career in Oncology and Palliative Care as a student, Richa calls the unit her “home and roots”. “It was a great starting point as a new hire due to all of the skills you quickly learn by working across three departments. And now, I have the opportunity to orient nursing students and new hires myself. Our unit sponsors educational opportunities to advance our careers, so we’re always learning. With their support I’ve become chemo certified, attended sessions on stem cell patients and symptom management for palliative patients, and had a lot of hands-on learning with specialized equipment used to administer chemotherapy medications.”

The care continuum

Teamwork, Richa says, is a collaborative endeavor at Osler. “At the end of the day, nursing is about continuity of care. I have the pleasure of working with a dedicated interprofessional team. The physicians work closely with nurses to fulfill patient outcomes, and the Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists assist patients with the activities of daily living and assess their mobility to ensure they’re safe to be discharged from the hospital. Once that patient has been approved for discharge, our Transitional Care Coordinators do an amazing job of making sure they’ve got the resources that they need at home or in the community to continue their care. As a nurse, I work with all of these professionals to provide feedback along the way.”

Patient advocacy at the end of life

Compassion and preservation of dignity is of the utmost importance for Richa. She recalls a profound patient story that speaks to these virtues. “I'll never forget my first time caring for a patient at the end of life. Throughout the day, I had the opportunity to speak with the patient and learn about their health journey – a journey that had included a lot of suffering. They had chosen to stop their cancer treatments, and I could feel how significant this decision was to them, to be able to finally let go of their suffering on their own terms. It was an important reminder of my duty to respect and advocate for a patient’s wishes regarding their end of life care.”

Careers that go beyond

Richa says that nursing is just not her profession, but her life’s calling. “I always knew I wanted to work in the medical field. I love knowing that I'm making a difference in people's lives. It’s what makes all of the challenging moments worthwhile. In fact, I love the challenges as they push me to think outside the box and keep me engaged. Every day in nursing allows me to grow not only as a professional but as a person.”

“I chose to work at Brampton Civic because it’s my very own community hospital. And beyond that, Osler's values really resonated with me. I believe that respect, excellence, innovation, service, compassion and collaboration are all integral to providing quality care, and I’m proud to work for an organization that places so much importance on its values.”

Are you ready to join Richa?

Come join our diverse team of Osler Strong professionals! We’re dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment, providing best-in-class care and opportunities for education and advancement in various specialties.

Apply today to exciting roles in our Oncology and Palliative Care programs at Brampton Civic and Etobicoke General.