Meet Celine Gould, Registered Nurse at Michael Garron Hospital

Tell us about yourself! 

Hi, my name is Celine and I am a Registered Nurse (RN) at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH). I work with the Complex Continuing Care (CCC) and Rehab Team. 

What motivated you to join MGH? 

I first came to MGH as a nursing student with the CCC and Rehab Team during my final semester of nursing school. 

Throughout my time as a student here, I felt welcomed and supported by everyone, no matter their role. I was confident that if I ever had a question or needed help, anyone on the team would be more than willing to help me. 

When I graduated from nursing school, I knew that the CCC and Rehab Team at MGH would be the perfect place to start my career and grow in my role as a nurse. I knew I would be working alongside skilled and compassionate teammates. 

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

Since joining MGH as a student, I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to work as a clinical extern. This was a transitional role for nursing students, in which I gained valuable experiences with both patients and colleagues.  

I developed skills to help a patient’s activities of daily living, such as supporting hygiene practices and helping them with toileting or eating. I was also able to develop my therapeutic and professional communication with patients and fellow team members, eventually building meaningful relationships with them. 

As an extern, I worked with the Medicine Team on T8. I felt recognized by them for the work that I put into caring for patients and appreciated by patients despite being so new and honestly a little lost at times. 

I learned a lot while working as an extern about patient care and team interactions, and I continue to use this experience to grow in my current role. 

Can you share your career path at MGH? 

January 2023: I was in my final stretch of nursing school and started working with the CCC and Rehab Team as a nursing student. 

February 2023: I was looking for a position suitable for nursing students to gain clinical experience and started working as a clinical extern on T8.  

May 2023 to present: After graduating from nursing school, I started working with the CCC and Rehab Team again as an RN and became a permanent staff member on the unit that first welcomed me to MGH. 

What motivates or inspires you? 

My colleagues inspire me to do my best every day and maintain the same standard of excellence that they do. As a new nurse, my team helps me feel confident that I’ve achieved the best possible patient outcomes through their unwavering support and guidance. I’m able to bring a smile to every shift thanks to my work family. 

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

During my time as an extern, I built a rapport with a patient who had a history of aggression and difficulty communicating due to his illness. 

This patient was easily frustrated when trying to communicate. I made sure not to rush him during care, took the time to let him process what he wanted to say and reassured him that it was okay if they were having difficulty speaking. 

After a few days of working with this patient, the patient started to smile and wave to me whenever he saw me. At one point, another nurse who was working with this patient gestured to me and said to him, “your best friend is here!” The patient looked at me, smiled and nodded. 

Knowing that I was able to build a positive relationship with this patient, even though others may have had difficulty with him in the past, made me feel that the extra time and effort I spent with him was well worth it.