By Amber McCarthy RN BScN CVAA (c) ACLS (c)
My career started in long-term care and ranged from acute care in the hospital to nursing at a methadone maintenance treatment clinic. Many times I worked multiple jobs and although I enjoyed many different aspects of each job, I was always searching for something else. In 2012, I obtained a position in home care nursing with Bayshore Health Care. I started to really enjoy my job and learned skills that I never knew would be necessary to perform my position in the field of home care. Bayshore offered courses on wound care, respiratory care (ventilators and tracheostomies), palliative care, IV certification and specialized medication injection training. I was able to care for any type of client in their own home. The variety on a daily basis was fulfilling. I could wake up in the morning and assist a client with wound care, visit a client for an assessment and injection, and end the day doing injection training for someone with chronic autoimmune disease. The next day could bring pediatric respite and an in-home infusion for a chronic genetic illness.
I obtained my CVVA certification, which lead to an amazing opportunity as a primary nurse in a specialized infusion clinic. I then obtained my ACLS certification. At this clinic I would infuse clients with multiple diagnoses from different forms of autoimmune disease to certain types of cancer. I spent two years honing my infusion skills and increasing my knowledge base on specialized medications. At the same time, I taught specialized pump training in hospitals and clinics, obtained and taught CPR for nurses, and maintained clients out of the clinic – variety at its best!
Being exposed to so many clients with chronic autoimmune disease and being able to support, follow up and educate the clients became my passion. I have the most incredible opportunity to be a constant support for clients on specialized medications for autoimmune disease. I follow their disease path and watch as a large portion of my clients increase their quality of life, decrease their active disease state and start to love their life again. For me, that is why I became a nurse: to make people feel better and help them “get better.” Bayshore has given me so many nursing opportunities I didn’t even know about. I am still learning about many more opportunities that I am a candidate for because I want to experience continual learning and growth as a nurse and a person.
Amber McCarthy has a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree (BScN) in 2008 from the collaborative program with Trent University and Sir Sandford Fleming College, and is certified with the Canadian Vascular Access Association (CVAA) and the Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS).
