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home / 世界杯决赛2022

new pet therapy program at b.c. children's hospital aims to help stressed-out health care workers

'it's a micro-break from the chaos and just this sense of peacefulness tends to come over everyone,' says nurse kelsey mccormick.

by tiffany crawford

aug 24 2022
read time 3 minute read
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b.c. children's hospital nurse kelsey mccormick pets a therapy dog used to help health-care workers cope with stress. jpg
b.c. nurse kelsey mccormick is no stranger to stress on the job, especially given the challenges of the continuing covid-19 pandemic and health-care worker shortage.
her shoulders tense up and, like many of her colleagues, she also feels the anxiety that arises from the chaos of a busy hospital.
but she says a new program at b.c. children’s hospital, where she works as a clinical resource nurse, aims to help ease a bit of that stress — even if it’s just a few minutes a day or week.
the b.c. children’s hospital foundation on wednesday announced that in partnership with petsmart charities of canada they have launched a pet therapy program designed to help staff cope with stress, anxiety, and work-related health issues.
mccormick said there was a “positive energy” in the air wednesday as a group of nurses in scrubs gathered around the dogs, petting them, laughing and chatting — almost forgetting the enormous workload and stress they deal with every day helping sick kids and their families cope.
a new pet therapy program at b.c. children’s hospital aims to help stressed out health-care workers.
a new pet therapy program at b.c. children’s hospital aims to help stressed out health-care workers. jpg
“all of our days tend to be so chaotic and busy and stressful, and when we sort of just step away from the bedside and these dogs are there it just brings the level of anxiety down so much,” she said.
mccormick said it’s like a timeout for grown-ups.
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“it’s a micro-break from the chaos and just this sense of peacefulness tends to come over everyone. it’s a bit of a reset and then you can get back on with your day.”

a study in february on the state of stress and burnout among b.c. nurses showed that the pandemic is affecting their mental health. the study, led by a university of b.c. nursing professor, farinaz havaei, and published in the journal   healthcare , showed the link between poor mental health in health-care workers and poor quality of care in hospitals, long-term care homes and health centres. it found that when nurses reported high emotional exhaustion, their ratings of quality and safety of patient care delivery dropped eightfold.

and, there have been numerous stories of burnout over the course of the pandemic, with nurses in tears over how exhausted and anxious they are.

“staffing shortages have really taken a toll. so we’re kind of doing more with less and the pressure is just really high because we nurses tend to be a little perfectionist and we want to provide the best care,” said mccormick. “we take care of sick kids but with fewer bed nurses. so that’s just day-to-day, and there are 12-hour shifts. long days, a lot of nurses are picking up overtime. so that’s been really stressful.”
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b.c. children’s already has a program that brings in pets for the kids, but this new program is just for the staff. she said the dogs aren’t trained for children so they keep this program separate from the patients.
instead, they go in a quiet room with just staff, the dogs and a therapist.
“i think having a psychologist there and the dogs just helps them feel like it’s more of a safe space to like open up to what they might need to talk about,” said mccormick. “they can step aside if they want to and speak privately with the psychologist or sometimes we talk about themes like caregiver burnout. but just having the dogs’ presence, that just brings the stressful energy down.”
a new pet therapy program at b.c. children’s hospital aims to help stressed-out health care workers.
a new pet therapy program at b.c. children’s hospital aims to help stressed-out health care workers. jpg
malcolm berry, president of the children’s hospital foundation, said it’s wonderful to see dogs visiting the hospital and putting smiles on the faces of the health-care staff.
“the past 2 1/2 years have provided challenges for everyone, and the staff at b.c. children’s hospital are no exception. as the pandemic landscape continues to evolve, our health-care workers have pivoted and adapted accordingly to ensure that b.c.’s sickest and most seriously injured children continue to receive excellent care,” he said in a statement wednesday.
a new pet therapy program at b.c. children’s hospital aims to help stressed-out health care workers.
a new pet therapy program at b.c. children’s hospital aims to help stressed-out health care workers. jpg

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all volunteers and pets in the program are evaluated and certified by st. john’s ambulance, and b.c. pets and friends, according to the foundation.
the hospital’s pet therapy program offers monthly staff-wellness group events and supports resilience rounds for nurses on in-patient floors. each visit allows opportunities for staff to pet the dogs and take a mental break from their hectic day.
petsmart charities of canada has granted nearly $700,000 to support animal-assisted therapy programs, according to the foundation.
“petsmart charities of canada understands the healing power of animals, especially their ability to reduce depression, anxiety and work-related mental health issues,” said kate atema, director of community grants at the national charity.
ticrawford@postmedia.com

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