Kelvin Mak
Toronto General Hospital
University Health Network
Kelvin Mak is one of our most dependable nurses and informal team leaders. The pandemic brought upon many uncertainties and stressors, and having Kelvin present, as a permanent charge nurse, brought a sigh of relief. He emerged as one of the leaders due to his wide breadth of knowledge, experience and skills and his ability to critically think. He volunteered during the first covid wave to form a permanent group of charge nurses to ensure information flow “on the fly” gets communicated consistently. As soon as there was a policy, guide or practice change (which was common during the first wave), all staff were informed seamlessly and in a timely manner.
His unit transitioned from a surgical cancer unit to a covid medical unit. At least half of his colleagues were redeployed to two other units at the hospital. Kelvin always ensured when he worked (on the covid unit where he volunteered to stay) that he took some time to round on the other units to check on his colleagues and their wellbeing. He calmly listened to some of their needs and escalated opportunities to his manager
He is a mentor to his fellow nursing colleagues and is currently in the process of training future in-charge nurses with hopes that they can follow in his footsteps. He is often referred to as the father of the unit. Although he may not always express his feelings, you can sense how much he truly cares for the team and for the patients.
When he notices that the unit may be understaffed in the upcoming shifts, he goes above and beyond to ensure every shift (not just his own roster) is adequately staffed. He has his own method of persuading staff to help. He has great relationships with other units as well where he also helps with their staffing needs. No one stays short staffed.
One particular example to mention was when Kelvin was on his day off with his two kids. He was called to work since he had added his name on our availability list. Since he could not leave his kids alone to come to work, he felt the need to secure staff for the unit. He communicated with a few of his colleagues and secured a nurse for the unit. This is how dedicated he is to his patients and colleagues.
He emanates a feeling of calmness and has a positive vibe that is a reprieve for staff during stressful situations. When he’s on the unit, you get a feeling that despite whatever happens, you know that you’ll make it through the shift with his guidance. One example was when Kelvin and his colleague noticed signs of a patient deteriorating. He calmly approached the medical team and our outreach team for a consult. Ensured the patient was looked after and quietly helped the patient transfer to the Intensive care unit. It was extremely organized and controlled.
He collaborates with the allied health staff to implement care plans that benefit the patient and always advocates for the right things. He supports our surgical residents and makes them feel very welcomed on our unit. He ensures that they are aware of our processes, which ensures safe delivery of patient care improves the efficiency of the team. He continuously builds relationship with all the 5 different surgical services to ensure our patients and their essential care partners are safely taken care of. Kelvin has also coached other consult services and their residents on our unit about processes to ensure that patients receive timely care. Kelvin is collaborative individual who takes into consideration the holistic needs of the patients, the nurses, allied health as well as our residents and staff surgeons.
As a closing example about Kelvins caring personality and going above and beyond:
Nursing shortages and recruitment across hospitals, the province, and the globe has been a challenge. With his positive personality and through promoting our unit’s team mentality, Kelvin makes every effort to ensure students, staff and everyone who touches our unit is well supported. Kelvin took the extra time to find out what staff need at a professional and personal level. He recruited over 10 nurses in the last six months and ensured they have a seamless transition from orientation to being independent practitioners. Our nurses feel more inclined to stay as we have strong role models that are approachable.
We nominate Kelvin Mak for the Nursing Hero Award for his dedication to patients and to his commitment to UHN over the past eight years of his career.
Nominated by:
Marleine Elkhouri, RN Jeus Cabaluna, RN
Inpatient Manager, Surgical Oncology Registered Nurse, Surgical Oncology