Employee spotlight: Recreational Therapy Month!

Q 1. What led you to working as a Recreational Therapist?    

I’d say I found my passion to work as a Recreational Therapist at a young age without knowing the title of the career I now have. My mother was a PAB at a nursing home and I’d go with her on weekends. During these visits, I would spend time with her patients and participate in leisure activities such as bingo, arts and craft, colouring, cooking and many more. I continued to visit the site as I got older and volunteered during my spare time, which led me to meeting a recreational therapist. She explained her career in detail, as well as her journey after graduating from Concordia. It was at that point that I started to research recreational therapy and I found my passion.  

Q 2. What is the best advice that someone at the MUHC ever gave you?    

“Every day will provide you with an opportunity to grow, through knowledge, because the hospital is a learning institution.” Since given this advice, I’ve taken advantage of every situation to learn the dos and don’ts, for one day I may be faced with a similar circumstance, and I’ll have the tools to perform my job adequately.  

Q 3. Tell us about working with your fellow colleagues.  

My colleagues are a key factor in my enjoyment of the job. I believe that being in a positive environment with likeminded colleagues creates positive outcomes, and I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by colleagues who are supportive of the deployment of the Allez-Up/Step Up Deconditioning Program. We share the same values regarding patient care and we communicate numerous times per day. This enables our patients to receive the best care possible.  

Q 4.  How do you like to relax and unwind after a shift? 

I have a fixed schedule after a shift to relax and unwind. I walk my dog and head to the gym; these activities aid me in staying physically healthy and clearing my mind of any stress or tension which I may have encountered during the day. Apart from this, I have a “Me Day” which I set aside for my self-care, a spa day at home, so to speak.