MITRAL RUMBLES

Linda is an LPN by trade and applies her skills as a Respiratory Therapy Assistant. She has been at her trade for 33 years and is still going strong. Linda was hired along with five other RTAs to St. Boniface Hospital; most have moved on to other areas but Linda (and Thelma) remain with the St. Boniface Respiratory Therapy Department and are invaluable to our daily operations.

Her responsibilities began with performing aerosol treatments, then morphed into the oxygen protocol which involved titration of patients’ oxygen on the wards. Now her role has pushed past those limits and involves but is not limited to: High Flow oxygen titration, Bronchoscopy suite stocking, Spirometry and most recently – Home Oxygen setup. In a climate where patient flow is ever so important, Linda’s contributions and leadership in the Home Oxygen process cannot be lauded enough. She may very well be the LAD of the department (pun intended).

“Right now, I feel the most useful in all of my career,” Linda expressed. Whether it is coming in on her days off, liaising with her dynamic duo partner Thelma Donnelly or assisting the RTs by circuiting ventilators when they are needed, I speak for many when I say we could not have gone through the past 24 months without her.

However, speaking of Linda’s invaluable nature to the department only paints half the picture. The person behind the mask (which she insisted on keeping on for the picture) is a sweet, soft-spoken, hard-working and witty individual who has welcomed many staff and students to our department over the years. Her hobbies include reading, skating, walking, biking (which is her favorite) and visiting the lake. I can’t help but think of a quote from Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People – “Winning friends begins with friendliness” and let me assure you, she has won us all over.

Patient interaction is a highlight of Linda’s work; one of her patients expressed, “thank you for being the one constant calm in all of this”. This sentiment is not only shared by her patients but by the colleagues as well. She continues to be a constant calm through the chaos.

Congratulations Linda, on being this week’s Sals Star!