For three years -  his first three not only at The Mississauga Hospital but in nursing – Jacques Duguay was part of a select pool of nurses assigned on an as-needed basis to nursing units.

“When we weren’t needed anywhere else, our base was Emergency,” he says. The assignment gave him a broad base of experience that has stood him in good stead ever since.

When the unit was disbanded in 1998, he worked in Neural Rehab and then covered a maternity leave in Emergency where he stayed, becoming clinical leader in 2002. In 2007, he was appointed Patient Care Co-ordinator, a new role that, he believes, echoes the work of the nursing supervisor at the time he joined the staff in 1995.

“Remembering that helped me benchmark this role,” he says.

His job is to ensure that patients flow adequately, enabling Emergency to send patients to beds in as timely a manner as possible. Now one of two Patient Care Co-ordinators at Trillium -  a second full-time position was added in the fall of 2008 – he often liaises between staff, family and patients to get the job done.

“There were no real guidelines when I took the job,” he says. “Developing the role has been a continuous surprise.  It’s very challenging, given the multi-layered complexities of an institution that needs to come together as whole in order to function.”

Adding to the complexity, he believes, is the fact that, because of the emphasis on ambulatory care, people who are admitted to hospital are “sicker than they were 10 years ago”, putting more pressure on staff.

Fortunately, he says, the medical staff is up to the challenge.

“The increase in our education and skill is balancing it out.  Trillium has been preparing for this increase in acuity for quite some time.   We’ve been provided with all the opportunities we need for education and development.”