Georgian College

36 GEORGIANVIEW 2019-20 WINTER CHANGEMAKER Jodi-Lynn Collins came to Barrie from Toronto to study nursing at Georgian. She planned to start her career elsewhere when she graduated in 1992, but she landed a job at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) and ended up relocating permanently. Twenty-seven years later, she is still working in the Barrie community using her education and experience to change the lives of people struggling with lung diseases. Since becoming a Registered Nurse (RN) Jodi- Lynn has worked in different health-care settings from community home care to primary care to surgical/ operating room. She returned to community nursing in 2008 to take on the role of Lung Health Program Co- ordinator for the the Barrie and Community Family Health Team (BCFHT), one of 200 Family Health Teams created by the province of Ontario to reduce wait times and improve health-care access. Jodi-Lynn, the Lead Certified Respiratory Educator (CRE), developed and implemented the Lung A BREATH OF FRESH AIR Jodi-Lynn Collins – Nursing, class of 1992 Health Program, as well as an eight-week Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program designed for people with chronic lung disease that involves supervised exercise classes and education sessions. "My job is to test the patient's breathing and once diagnosed, educate them about their condition and treatment. If patients understand their disease and why they may have to use an inhaler, they comply more with the treatment," says Jodi-Lynn. "Once patients have the knowledge, we can give them self-management tools to help live with their chronic disease." Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD) is a common respiratory disease responsible for significant mortality, morbidity and health-care costs. In addition to painful physical symptoms, patients with COPD can also suffer from feelings of shame because the ailment is self- inflicted or with heightened anxiety from being unable to breathe. With education and self-management, and the compassionate care of the nurses in the rehab program, patients are better equipped to manage these symptoms as well. Watching her patients succeed is extremely gratifying for Jodi-Lynn. "When we first meet people they are struggling in their day-to day activities because of shortness of breath. They enter our rehab program only being able to walk two minutes on the treadmill. With our support and guidance, by the end of the eight weeks, they are walking up to 40 minutes on the treadmill and are confident in managing their own care." Although she sometimes misses the adrenaline of the operating room, her current role offers something else. "I love the patient contact in this job," says Jodi-Lynn. "I mean, that's why I am a nurse – to make a difference in people's lives." As she moved through each phase of her career, it was post-graduate training at Georigan that prepared her to go into different specialties and enhance her skillsets. "Looking back I see how much Georgian has done for me. All the courses I've taken, even though they may not be specifically related to what I'm doing now, I still take pieces from them. The skills they taught me made it possible for me to do so many things." Those "things" have touched thousands of people in this community over the years, and one person in particular, Jodi-Lynn's daughter Riley. As an RN at RVH, she is carrying on her mother's example of caring.

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