Sharon Hoosein

Trillium Health Partners

Sharon is a nurse practitioner who cares for her patients, colleagues, and everyone around her. I know Sharon since my first placement at this hospital as a student. I saw how knowledgeable she was  and how helpful she was to students. I had the pleasure to spend one day with her as a student shadowing her and I still remember how caring she was to her patients and how well she interacted with everyone, patients, caregivers, and the inter-professional team.  She did so much in one day but could never see her feel tired or disorganized. Sharon is someone who goes above and beyond caring for her patients, vulnerable older adults, in the emergency department to assure their care needs are addressed and hospital admissions are avoided.

During the start of the COVID pandemic, while doing her regular role in the emergency department as a geriatric nurse practitioner, she also was part of a team working on Goals of Care project. I saw how beautifully Sharon initiated this discussion with patients and their loved ones and how thoroughly and respectively she answered their questions. Discussing Goals of Care and Advanced Care Planning are not easy topics to approach especially in the extremely busy emergency department during the pandemic. However, for Sharon, this was something very meaningful and important. I could see how Sharon empowered her patients to make the right decision and how thankful they were by the end of her visit. Sharon is an evidence-based practitioner and she is always involved in projects focused on improving patient care targeting quadruple aim.

Currently, Sharon is involved in a project to define what group of older adults are high frequency users of the emergency department and what are the best ways to support this specific population in the community. Sharon not only is focused on empowering her patients, she also cares about her colleagues’ wellbeing and performance. She assures best practice standards are implemented and takes lead in preparing her colleagues for different initiatives such as accreditation. She participates and encourages others join fund raising events focused on improving care delivery. What I really want to recognize Sharon for is her work related to equity and antiracism. She is a member of equity circle in our hospital focused on building antiracism education and awareness, removing barriers to realize everyone’s potential, and creating a culture of belonging.

Knowing how busy she is and despite that she tries to find time to volunteer in equity lead initiatives in our hospital. For example, recently she volunteered for the first held Ramadan initiative in our hospital where Muslim staff, professional staff, learners and volunteers during the month of Ramadan can break their fast together in a communal inclusive space. It is individuals like Sharon who can break down barriers and help people with different backgrounds feel comfortable to become a nurse or a healthcare provider and improve overall wellbeing of our community. A nurse like Sharon is a hero and her tireless work and efforts need to be recognized.