When Magdalene (Mandy) Ogudu, RPN, graduated from Conestoga College in 2018, the world was her oyster.
Shortly after graduation, she started her nursing career as a float nurse at the Grand River Hospital in Kitchener, ON and hasn’t looked back. “It has been a mind-blowing journey, as I always knew I wanted to be in a profession where I could care for people and make a difference,” Mandy said. “I have a tremendous sense of satisfaction at the end of the day.”
A few months into her job, the pandemic struck. It threw Mandy into an environment where she had to think on her feet, learn, adjust, and adapt to new policies and infection control protocols.
Even though it has been a challenging year, Mandy says her willingness to learn and improve have served her well.
“The whole experience has been overwhelming,” Mandy said of the pandemic. “I am calm, collected, and cool under pressure, and those attributes help me. Besides the stress on the job, we also have had to deal with terrified patients. As nurses, we are with patients when they’re vulnerable, and it was that realization that kept me going.”
She said working as a float nurse in a high-stress environment during the pandemic has given her a new perspective about her own strengths. She has also built even stronger bonds with her healthcare colleagues, who regularly rely on one another as part of the team.
The Kitchener native said over the last three years since she started working, she has learned to communicate well, and be an advocate for patients.
“I am an intermediary between the patients and healthcare teams and that allowed me to continually improve my skillset and build my resilience,” she said.
Mandy recently became a WeRPN Ambassador and says she loves this leadership role and being part of a professional organization.
“Even as a student, I was intrigued by the resources WeRPN offered,” Mandy said. “I found RPNs at my work were unaware of all the support the organization offers, so, whenever possible, I have been educating them on the benefits.”
Mandy says she looks forward to continually learning, being a mentor, and enjoying all small and big milestones of her career.
