Shevaun's Career Journey at MGH

Tell us about yourself!

Hi, my name is Shevaun La and I am a Clinical Resource Leader (CRL) in Surgery Health Services at Michael Garron Hospital (MGH). I have been working at MGH for about 1.5 years!

What motivated you to join MGH? 

I joined MGH for the opportunity to advance my career as an educator. When the CRL position was available, I felt this would be a great opportunity to advance my knowledge and skills in both operational management and nursing education. I was inspired by the “community feel” reputation at MGH, as former MGH staff described the community as friendly and welcoming, and I ultimately accepted the position.

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

Since joining MGH, I had the opportunity to attend workshops that helped support my role as an educator and to continue advocating for nursing practice and patient safety. I’ve attended the three below workshops:

• Workplace Violence Prevention training
• Creating and Fostering an LGBTQ2S+ Inclusive Environment training
• LEEP program

I am currently enrolled in the Masters of Nursing program with the support of MGH’s Tuition Assistance Program. I continue to rely heavily on informal mentorship which has helped shape my transformational and servant leadership style and skills.

Can you share your career path at MGH?

2020: I joined the Surgery Health Services team as a CRL to help advance nursing practice, contribute to quality and safe patient care and to ultimately elevate the nursing profession.

I genuinely enjoy working in the Surgery Health Services team and hope to continue building my skills as a CRL. My short term goal is to graduate from the Masters of Nursing program by the end of 2022. Upon completion, I plan to attend workshops, conferences and courses that focus on teaching and education, patient safety and project and change management.

What motivates/inspires you? "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

The team, collaboration and work culture continues to motivate and inspire me. I value the relationships I have built with colleagues, staff, patients and their families. What inspires me the most is going home at the end of every day knowing I made a difference, either big or small. This difference could be helping to discharge a patient home safely, providing bedside education for a newly graduated nurse or simply providing reassurance for a family member that called in to ask for an update.

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

As a new clinical leader at MGH, I was frightened yet ecstatic. I had the wonderful opportunity to shadow Christine Saby (CRL) on the first day. She made me feel so welcome and MGH began to feel like home in a short period of time. Her mentorship and support meant the most when I was transitioning from the role of a frontline Registered Nurse to a CRL. As a lifelong learner, I believe in continuing to ask questions, challenging the status quo and seeking feedback. Christine continues to support me by offering a helping hand, sharing her knowledge and expertise and empathizing with me when I am having a bad day.