Meet Angel Wang, Registered Nurse at Michael Garron Hospital

Tell us about yourself!

Hi, my name is Angel Wang and I am a Registered Nurse (RN). My role with Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) is Corporate Professional Practice Leader and Manager of Nursing Innovation and Academic Affairs within the Nursing Practice and Education portfolio. I started working here in 2015 and have had a variety of roles as I’ve grown in my career here.

What motivated you to join MGH?

I first joined MGH as a final-year nursing consolidation student in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). My preceptor, Maria Hamilton, took me under her wing and taught me a lot about professional practice.

Being part of a community was important to me and I could see this was heavily embedded within MGH’s culture. I wanted to start my nursing career at MGH because of the people I worked with and the great culture within the hospital.

What types of learning, mentorship or professional development opportunities have you had the opportunity to pursue since joining MGH?

Since my first day as an RN at MGH, I have had the privilege to work with and learn from wonderful nurses who have a strong sense of leadership, integrity, compassion and clinical excellence.

In particular, the experienced nurses in the Cardiology Department shaped me to be the nurse I am today. I am forever grateful for their mentorship and encouragement. They not only taught me nursing skills, the importance of teamwork and helped me develop my nursing clinical judgment, but they also instilled in me the value of patient- and family-centered care. To this day, I continue to receive ongoing mentorship and support from strong nurse leaders at MGH. I appreciate them creating a safe and welcoming space for me to flourish and grow.

During my time at MGH, I have had many opportunities to develop professionally and advance my nursing education. I am currently receiving ongoing support as I complete my PhD in Nursing.

I have also taken part in the following educational opportunities:

• Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) and Coronary Care 1 and 2
• MGH’s Emerging Leaders Program
• The Leadership Excellence Essentials Program (LEEP)
• The Improving and Driving Excellence Across Sectors (IDEAS) Foundation of Quality Improvement Program at the University of Toronto
• Becoming a Gentle Persuasive Approach Certified Coach
• Certificate in Nursing Education for the Practice Setting from the University of Toronto
• Master of Nursing degree from Toronto Metropolitan University

I also enjoy being able to preceptor and mentor students and nursing staff in clinical practice, research and quality improvement.

Can you share your career path at MGH?

2015: I completed my consolidation placement in the ICU. I also started working on the Nursing Resource Team as an RN in the Nursing Graduate Guarantee Program where I worked in various units across the organization. I was able to gain a wide range of nursing competencies and provide care for a variety of patients.

2016: I transferred to the Cardiology Department where I worked primarily in the Cardiac Inpatient Unit, while also floating to work in the Cardiac Catherization Lab, Echo Lab and Heart Function Clinic.

2019: I had the opportunity to cover a maternity leave as the Interim Supervisor of the Cardiology Department. This was my first leadership opportunity at MGH, and I was fortunate to work and learn from my amazing leadership team.

2020: I joined the Complex Continuing Care Department as the Clinical Resource Leader because I wanted to advance professional practice and clinical care excellence through the design and implementation of educational programs and clinical processes. I was sad and anxious to leave the Cardiology Department where I had been for several years, but I was welcomed warmly by a fantastic new team.

2022: I was offered the opportunity to work as the inaugural Corporate Professional Practice Leader on a temporary contract under the supervision and mentorship of Mikki Layton, MGH’s Chief Nurse Executive. In this position, I was able to work with teams to further advance excellence in professional practice at the corporate level.

2023: I transitioned into the permanent position of the Corporate Professional Practice Leader as well as the Manager of Nursing Innovation and Academic Affairs.

What motivates or inspires you?

“Healing others is connected with healing yourself” is the philosophy that guides how I carry out my life and keeps me motivated. I am a Chinese immigrant whose family members grew up in poor, rural and remote villages in China. My upbringing and culture have imparted me with a commitment to help others in order to achieve a greater good.

Prior to becoming a nurse, I also navigated the Canadian healthcare system both as a patient and a family caregiver. These experiences are the key reasons why I went into the nursing profession: to do good. The ability to make a difference, small or big, is what motivates and inspires me every day. As a nurse, you provide care to patients during their most vulnerable and challenging times and I feel incredibly privileged to be a small part of their journey.

Working alongside nurses, whether at the bedside or in leadership positions, and witnessing their commitment to high-quality, patient- and family-centered care also serves as one of my biggest motivations and inspirations.

If you could share one memorable moment from your time at MGH, what stands out to you?

Having been at MGH for several years, I have grown both professionally and personally.

It is hard to narrow it down to just one memorable moment. Instead, I want to highlight a memorable time period.

I was encouraged by my team in the Cardiology Department to apply for the Interim Supervisor position to cover a maternity leave. In particular, one of the senior nurses, Fredelyn Calma, warmly addressed my self-doubts and strongly cheered me on to apply. Her kindness and support is what ignited my career path in nursing leadership at MGH. I started as the Interim Supervisor in December 2019 and, three months later, the COVID-19 pandemic began. The pandemic significantly changed nursing practice.

As a novice leader, I was navigating the uncertainties as well as the rapid changes associated with the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The way the team in the Cardiology Department came together to face the unknown will be a memory that I will always carry with me and take a lot of pride in.

This time period stuck out the most to me as it exemplified a key value of MGH: community.