Sarah
Utilization Facilitator, Victoria General Hospital
Most of the inpatients at Victoria General Hospital won't ever meet Sarah, but her impact on them is enormous. Sarah is the Utilization Facilitator at the hospital – ultimately it is up to her to play matchmaker with patients, beds and care teams. She is responsible for patients ending up in the right bed, with the right care providers, at the right time.
While there was not a lot of demand on inpatient beds during COVID-19, that is not often the case. Keeping the balance between the supply and demand for inpatient beds requires a great amount of planning, precision and flexibility.
Sarah, a registered nurse, uses her clinical skills to inform patient assignments and to problem-solve. Equally important though are her creativity, negotiation skills, and strong interpersonal relationships. On any given day Sarah will interact with the staff and physicians on nearly every unit of the hospital, the Patient Access & Transition team at WRHA, colleagues from other hospitals and personal care homes, Home Care, and community agencies!
Sarah’s favourite part of the job is her ability to solve problems to benefit patients without them ever having to know there was an issue! She enjoys the challenge of finding creative solutions that will create a superior experience for our patients and their families. And this is exactly what Sarah is known for. Thanks to her experience and creativity, she’s even been able to place family members in the same room together on the rare occasion two relatives are hospitalized at the same time.
Thank you Sarah! We are grateful for your contributions!