Vonnie Lee recognized with 2022 Sopman Humanitarian Award

lanthierj — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 19:35:24 +0000

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lanthierj Fri, 07/22/2022 - 15:35

Students

St. George

Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

University Health Network

Sopman Humanitarian Award

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(photo by Lex Kilgour)

Vonnie Lee, a second-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) student at the University of Toronto’s Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, is the recipient of the 2022 Sopman Humanitarian Award presented by the University Health Network.

Established by Archie Sopman in remembrance of his late wife Belle Sopman, and the humanitarian care she received by a student nurse, the award recognizes Lee’s unique and compassionate interactions with patients, excellence in academics, and ability to think critically under pressure, including saving the life of a patient who was choking.

“It is a tremendous honour to be named alongside health-care providers who embody these characteristics of humanitarian care,” says Lee, who will graduate from the BScN program this fall.

Entering the nursing profession during a pandemic, Lee says, she found herself experiencing compassion fatigue at times, due to mental and physical exhaustion. Her perspective started to change, she says, when she began her clinical placement on UHN’s cardiovascular unit, where she could see patients transitioning out of care, leaving hospital, and getting better. It is also where her ability to connect with patients began to shine.

“I always find something to engage them in, and it makes a huge difference, because it helps people feel like they are being heard,” says Lee.

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Yukei Ng wins 2021 Sopman Humanitarian Award

lanthierj — Fri, 09 Jul 2021 18:18:24 +0000

Yukei Ng wins 2021 Sopman Humanitarian Award

Academic Achievement

lanthierj Fri, 07/09/2021 - 14:18

Students

St. George

Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

Sopman Humanitarian Award

landscape

Yukei Ng, a student at the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, has won the 2021 Sopman Humanitarian Award, presented by the University Health Network.

The Sopman Humanitarian Fund seeks to encourage humanity, compassion, understanding and the ability to communicate among nurses and doctors in training at UHN. The honour recognizes Ng’s support and compassion while providing patient care as a student nurse, alongside her excellence in academics.

“I feel like this is what I was meant to do,” says Ng. “Winning this award means a lot and will always serve as encouragement for me to do the best that I can and to be as competent and compassionate as I can be.”

During one of her placements, Ng noticed a Spanish-speaking patient was withdrawn and seemed lonely. Unable to speak Spanish herself, Ng decided to use Google translate to communicate with the patient.

“It turns out the patient was feeling really lonely and unsure about their health,” says Ng. “Their family was worried, but the patient could not properly explain to them the type of procedure he was going to have.”

With approval from her preceptor, Ng found a Spanish language document online that helped to explain the procedure to the patient and his family.

“He was very appreciative, and all it took was a little bit of effort on my part to help him feel more secure,” says Ng.

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