#staffspotlight
Meet Tracy, an RN at Victoria Hospice
“I’m really proud of how we at Victoria Hospice as a whole team, can see someone from the beginning on the ceiling with such great fear, come down with their feet on the ground and feel very relieved in the process…walking alongside them, one day at a time, one foot in front of the other.
Medical & Nursing
Led by our Medical Director, our physicians provide treatment and attention for patients and their families across multiple care settings. Working in conjunction with the patient’s family physician, home care nurse, and other specialty physicians, our team provides expert symptom management and palliative care.
The Nursing Department includes Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) who – assisted by unit clerks, aides, and volunteers – deliver high quality hospice palliative care to patients and their families in Victoria Hospice’s 18-bed In-Patient Unit. RNs also provide care for patients and families in their homes as part of the Palliative Response Team (PRT).
Our medical team also plays an active role in the education of medical students, residents, hospice staff and volunteers, home care nurses, and other Vancouver Island Health Authority employees.
Psychosocial Services
With Counsellors, Therapists, and Spiritual Care Specialists, the Psychosocial Services department supports patients, families, and the community. During the progressive stages of life-limiting illness, they offer professional counselling for patients and their families, help with practical concerns like funeral planning and wills, and spiritual care for all faiths, cultures, and beliefs. The department also offers grief counselling, plus a variety of support groups and services for adults and children.
Volunteer Services
Volunteers play an essential role in supporting Victoria Hospice programs and services, ensuring patients and families receive quality end-of-life care. Over 300 volunteers work with patients and families alongside our staff. Volunteers can be found on the inpatient unit, in our community program, and with our bereavement program. Volunteers are also active in non-clinical program areas such as fundraising events, the Rooftop Garden, and office administration.
Human Resources, Learning & Development
The Human Resources, Learning & Development Department supports the professional development and educational needs of people working or volunteering with Victoria Hospice. Our department is responsible for personnel management including recruitment and retention, performance reviews, professional development, and succession planning. We develop workforce strategies to support our staff and our organization’s strategic goals.
Our department develops and implements frameworks for organization-wide staff education in line with strategic priorities and accreditation guidelines. One of our focus areas is the facilitation of collaborative learning and development across the organization. Alongside leaders, we support our teams to ensure they receive the necessary orientation, mentorship and ongoing education to successfully carry out their role.
We strive to support employees and volunteers during their time at Victoria Hospice, and we are keen to hear from you on how we can support you. Please email us your ideas or stop by the department!
Research, Quality & Safety
The Research, Quality & Safety Department oversees activities to foster a culture of learning across the organization to achieve quality goals and evidence-based practices. Our goal is to ensure Victoria Hospice patients and families receive reliable and high quality services. To do so, we work closely with other teams and explore questions like: Where are we now? Where do we want to be? How will we get there? How will we know we are there? How can we improve? These questions guide the activities in our continuous quality cycle of defining goals, gather and analyzing data (existing or new data), sharing and reporting performance, and implementing improvement initiatives around the quality and safety of our services.
A key focus of the department is collaborating with other departments, organizations, and academic institutions to research, develop, implement, and evaluate innovative solutions to enhance the quality of life for people facing life-liming illness, death, and bereavement. Our research initiatives are varied, and we welcome your ideas on new areas of inquiry.
Fund Development
Victoria Hospice’s Fund Development Staff work to meet current needs and create a stable financial future for Hospice. Each year, 50 percent of Victoria Hospice Society’s operating funds are raised from a variety of sources, including private donations and fundraising events. Annual funding priorities are determined by the Victoria Hospice Society.
Communications & Marketing
This team works with all departments at Victoria Hospice, chiefly: Clinical, Education and Research, Fund Development, Volunteer Services, and the Leadership Team. The department oversees internal and external communications including the website, media and public relations. They also provide support on fundraising initiatives, events, corporate and community donor relations.
For media relations or more information please contact Jen Cooper at 250-519-1729.
Corporate Services
The Corporate Services department provides a range of financial services for both the Society and the Foundation, including audits, general accounting, payables, budgets & planning support, and more. The department also monitors, maintains, and enhances non-clinical infrastructure.
Copies of our audited financial statements as prepared from year to year are also available from the Corporate Services department.