Dhondup Nangestsang exudes passion and dedication for her work as a Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) at Bridgepoint Active Healthcare. “I feel like I can make a difference in a patient’s life,” she says. “I’ve never had a single day where I didn’t look forward to going to work.”
When she was a child, her aunt who was a nurse, recognized Dhondup’s compassion and empathy and suggested nursing as a career path. “Based on my personality, she would tell me, ‘you would make a perfect nurse,” says Dhondup.
After working several years in her family’s restaurant, Dhondup decided to go back to school and follow her aunt’s suggestion. She juggled caring for her small children and studying to become an RPN. She completed her program 12 years ago and has been working on Bridgepoint’s Orthopaedic Rehabilitation unit ever since.
Patients on the Orthopaedic Rehab unit typically need rehabilitation due to traumatic injury or orthopedic surgery, often affecting the patient’s legs or hips. The team provides a program tailored to each patient’s needs to help them regain their strength, physical abilities and independence.
In this environment, Dhondup’s compassion and empathy have a chance to shine. “When a patient first arrives, they often have limitations to their mobility and they can’t do some tasks that they used to take for granted. They need somebody to have compassion and to listen,” she says.
Dhondup is dedicated to patient-centred care and understanding her patients’ needs. She pays attention to small details, like noticing that a patient has a limited reach and helping them arrange their space to access personal items. “These small things can make a big difference in helping a patient to be comfortable during their stay in the hospital. If a patient is happy, and more comfortable I think it helps them make progress in their rehabilitation so they can get back to their lives,” she says.
As she watches patients make progress, gain strength, mobility and independence, Dhondup gets a sense of satisfaction from seeing the care she provides make a difference. This is “the best reward,” she says. It’s something she can look forward to every day.