#IamMGH – Meet Barb Davis

#IamMGH tells the story of our people. In honour of Respiratory Therapy Week, meet Barb Davis, Respiratory Therapist and Anesthesia Assistant at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH).

"I majored in life sciences in university but realized that going to medical school wasn’t for me. I was looking for a career in healthcare and explored a few options, and eventually landed on respiratory therapy (RT).

I have mostly worked in hospital settings throughout my career. I started out working in medicine and intensive care. I’ve been at MGH for about three years now, and I work part-time in the operating room (OR). I’ve been a respiratory therapist for 15 years, and about seven years ago, I also became a certified anesthesia assistant (AA). Today, I work in both of these roles in the OR at MGH.

The most rewarding part of my job is providing emotional support to patients who are awake, either before surgery, when providing conscious sedation or during regional anesthesia. In addition to my therapist duties, I’m also there to talk the patient through the procedure. Many patients are quite nervous before being sedated. I’ve noticed that some patients are particularly nervous before cataract surgeries – which is understandable as the eye performs such a critical function! Some people aren’t nervous and go through the procedure like it’s a piece of cake, but for others, I think we really do make a difference by making the process safe and comfortable for them.

Unlike surgeons, RTs and AAs usually don’t meet with patients after surgery. We often never learn the patient’s outcome. I can remember an occasion when a patient who needed emergency surgery returned later in good health for an elective procedure. On a rare occasion like this when you witness someone come full circle, it’s a really nice feeling.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, RTs worked tirelessly on the front lines. I worked in the ICU a few times, but some of my colleagues are there full-time. Working in the OR still presented challenges during the pandemic, especially before the vaccine. Even though patients were tested and isolated before surgery, we could never be 100 per cent certain they did not have the virus.

To me, MGH represents community care. Before working here, I had jobs at larger hospitals, and they just don’t have the same tight-knit atmosphere. Here, it really feels like we’re serving a community. And that feels good."