Honourable Mention

Olivia Zompanti, Mackenzie Health

It is with great pleasure and honour that I submit this nomination in support of Olivia Zompanti. Olivia is a Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) in the Emergency Department at Mackenzie Health’s Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital which is one of the busiest Emergency Departments in the GTA.

Since joining Mackenzie Health three years ago, Olivia has become a valuable member of the Emergency Department team. She is regarded with high esteem by her colleagues as she continuously supports them and new team members alike. Her approach to patient care is thoughtful, patient and kind.

She consistently demonstrates empathy and compassion in her interactions with patients and their families, making sure they feel heard, understood, and supported. Olivia has a knack for anticipating patients’ needs and goes above and beyond to ensure that they are comfortable and well-informed throughout their care journey.

Further, Olivia has a great understanding of patient flow in the Emergency Department and has helped onboard new staff to help ensure they understand how patients move through the area. This builds greater capacity in our department and leads to increased patient and family satisfaction. Olivia has worked tirelessly to streamline processes and eliminate bottlenecks, resulting in improved patient outcomes.

One point about Olivia that comes up time and time again is that she is willing to go above and beyond. On days when our Emergency Department is in surge with admitted patients exceeding our patient threshold, Olivia can be relied upon to either assist with calling up reports or to move to an area that is in need of support. Additionally, on top of her regular nursing duties, Olivia never hesitates to assist with patients that speak Italian and need translation services.

Olivia’s dedication to the profession of nursing and to delivering world-class emergency care recently came into focus when she saved a life at her local gym. On her days off from work, Olivia goes to the gym regularly. In February, while entering her local gym, she overheard a patron asking for someone to call 911. Olivia quickly approached the situation to offer her assistance.

As she continued CPR, she also instructed bystanders to retrieve the automated external defibrillator (AED) and applied the pads to the patient. The AED successfully identified a shockable rhythm and delivered a shock. Olivia, along with another bystander, continued CPR until paramedics arrived. Shortly thereafter, a paramedic informed Olivia that the patient had been resuscitated and was now breathing on his own. The man proceeded to receive care at Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital and Southlake Regional Health Centre and has since made a full recovery.

Olivia’s charge nurse, Debbie Hunt had the following to say: “a ‘hero’ is a person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities.”  Having been Olivia’s charge nurse for the last three years she goes on to say, “I can attest that Olivia is a very accountable, dependable yet unassuming nurse.”

Olivia feels most comfortable doing her job and not being acknowledged for it. “She is a very humble person, and I am very proud of Olivia’s incredible courage to step up, take charge and help save a man’s life in what was a very stressful situation,” adds Debbie.

What’s more, in February 2021 when we opened Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital as a system relief to support the province of Ontario in managing the COVID 19 crisis, Olivia was part of the team that stepped up to provide care to critical care patients received by our hospital from other hospitals in the GTA. Critical care patients are not the patient type normally looked after by an RPN, however, Olivia and her Emergency Department RPN peers rose to the challenge. As a temporary member of the critical care team, she provided meaningful and passionate care during a very difficult time in health care.

Olivia has a sense of calmness that puts patients and her colleagues at ease. She exemplifies what it means to be a collaborative, encouraging and committed team member that contributes to fostering a cohesive team environment.

Mackenzie Health is incredibly proud of Olivia and we’re inspired by her passion for nursing and delivering exceptional patient care — no matter where or when it’s needed.  We are lucky she has chosen to build her nursing career at Mackenzie Health.

I am thankful for Olivia’s continued service to our community, and for her unwavering commitment to patient experience and flow. She is truly a health care hero, and we are proud to have her on our team. Olivia is an asset to the Mackenzie Health team and is deserving of this nomination – she is the future of nursing.

Nominated by Trevi Brown, Clinical Program Manager, Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital, Mackenzie Health.