Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Catherine Duffin has demonstrated dynamic leadership and unwavering commitment to the nursing profession to meet the needs of the hospital and its patients, her colleagues, and the community.
At the onset of the pandemic, Catherine – a nurse of nearly 25 years – took the lead in establishing St. Joe’s COVID-19 screening protocols to curb risk of the virus’s transmission, and help keep patients, healthcare workers, and the community safe.
With congregate settings in Hamilton, Ont., identified early in the pandemic as COVID-19 hotspots, Catherine played a pivotal role in supporting local long-term care and retirement homes respond to the global health crisis.
Catherine used her expertise to share infection and prevention control best practices, including the use of personal protective equipment, with staff in these facilities so they could safely care for residents while also protecting themselves against the virus.
When the need for more boots on the ground presented itself, Catherine didn’t think twice about working on the front lines of care homes in COVID-19 outbreak, delivering care to residents in need. In so doing, she inspired others at St. Joe’s to raise their hand to provide care to some of the city’s most vulnerable populations.
Catherine’s responsiveness to the challenges COVID-19 has posed, coupled with her ability to engage others, saw her take on a number of roles during the pandemic, including interim director of nursing practice for acute care, complex care, and rehabilitation, and interim director of the general internal medicine program and emergency services at St. Joe’s.
Today, in her role as nurse manager on Clinical Teaching Unit West, St. Joe’s largest general internal medicine unit, Catherine is committed to supporting her team as they continue to navigate the pandemic while delivering quality care to patients.
Catherine works diligently to keep her team informed on new policies and procedures to help them in their day-to-day duties, and makes herself available to answer questions, or to lend an empathetic ear, if needed. Whether it’s stepping in to help solve a problem or covering for a colleague who could use a break, Catherine looks for opportunities to relieve any pressures her team members might face.
To help bolster their resiliency during the pandemic, she encourages team members to take time to reflect on how they are feeling at the end of each shift. With these debriefs, they are able to decompress before leaving work – to rest and recharge for a new day ahead.
Caring for others has always come as second nature to Catherine, who aspired to be a nurse from a young age. She started her career in her teens as a healthcare assistant before earning a diploma in nursing, a bachelor of science in critical care nursing, and a master’s degree in nursing and education.
Long before COVID-19, Catherine was reputed among her colleagues for her compassion and composure under challenging circumstances. During the pandemic, she courageously stepped up in times of crises, and never lost sight of St. Joe’s mission, vision and values.
For these reasons, and more, St. Joe’s is grateful to Catherine for her contributions to the hospital and community as we continue to work together to fight COVID-19.
