Nicole Sadler
RN, Sister, Daughter, Golfer, Supporter, Human
Working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or NICU at Victoria General Hospital, I look after the sickest babies on Vancouver Island. I’ve always loved little ones. That’s been my passion, and I always knew I wanted to work with them full time. During my schooling to become a Registered Nurse, I did all my practicums in maternal and children’s wards. I dedicated my training to setting myself up for working here in the NICU. I’ve been here for five years and I love it; the critical thinking, the bedside interaction, getting to educate new parents, and really working with families in their most intimate moments is such a big thing.
In coaching families through those first weeks and months of life with their children, I get to experience a lot of firsts with them: their first bath, first diaper change, first time seeing their baby’s face after they finish with the ventilator. It’s really cool. You really bond with these families when you are seeing them five times a day for months on end. Some families will reach out and send photos; we also have a reunion every year at Jeneece place to meet up with families who had a more challenging stay at the NICU in the past year, and see how they are finding their groove. Sometimes I’ll even run into NICU families at Costco, it’s very sweet.
“I get to experience a lot of firsts with them: their first bath, first diaper change, first time seeing their baby’s face after they finish with the ventilator. It’s really cool.”
“We really work together to support families, and each other, as best as we can.”
We’ve got really good community within our team. We’re a big NICU, but a very small unit, so we’re super close with all of our doctors and nurses. Especially with our staffing shortages, we really work together to support families, and each other, as best as we can. In the NICU, there are a lot of really great times, but then there’s also really sad times. Having support is so needed because in those times you go home and think, What could I have done different? Is there anything that could have changed an outcome? Most people don’t have any reference point for the some of these things we experience, so being able to connect and debrief with people who can really relate is so needed.
Another way I try to release stress and clear my mind is running. My partner & I live near Saxe Point, so we get to run around that area. We love taking advantage of the weather here in Victoria: going to the lake, hiking, barbeques. Both of our families live close by here in town so we often get to hang out with our parents, siblings, nieces and nephews! We also love to golf. I initially got into it during the pandemic. During those early months out of lockdown, there weren’t many things you could do with a group of people, but four people together outside was acceptable. So some girls from work got together and started golfing once a week, and we just kind of kept it up. That’s one of the few silver linings of that time for me. I got introduced to this sport that I love, it also grew my appreciation for my work because that’s where my social interaction was, and it taught me how important family really is.
We work with a lot of vulnerable families in the NICU. I’m very passionate about supporting & educating those families, helping moms & babies connect despite the trauma that they’ve had in their lives. Local pediatricians, Dr. Marie-Noelle Trottier-Boucher and Dr. Katrina Stockley, have been working with the province to implement the latest protocol, known as Eat, Sleep, Console, in Island Health as part of a province wide initiative. This new protocol aims to provide a system to help these vulnerable families, and my colleague Heather and I have been able to help adapt and institute it in the NICU. These procedures aim to help more families stay together and avoid the trauma of being separated.
To me, compassion and kindness are the most vital parts of being human. Whether it’s a busy caregiver, a vulnerable family, or just your average person, we often have no idea what another person is going through. Today could be their worst day. For me, I just try to find the small things. When I’m with a family, I’ll highlight the little wins, because that alone can change their outlook on the day. It can fulfill that human connection that we all crave and need.
“To me, compassion and kindness are the most vital parts of being human.”
They are humans first, who put other humans first.
More than 8,900 caregivers and staff work around the clock in our Victoria Hospitals
#HumansFirst is dedicated to sharing the stories from behind our hospitals’ frontlines. These stories remind us that those who provide care and keep the lights on in our hospitals also have lives outside of them. They have family and friends, they enjoy hobbies and interests, and they have all lived through their own personal triumphs and heartbreaks. Like all of us, they are human, and they have a story to tell.
Copyright 2023 Victoria Hospitals Foundation
Charitable Registration #10793 5637 RR0001
