EXEMPLARY CARE
Parents praise RPN who helped son recover from severe brain injury
Practical nurse Michael Carlin is a role model, say parents caring for their son as he recovers from a brain injury.
Laurie and Roger Rossi have no doubt about the role Michael Carlin played in their 21-year-old son Mark’s life, as he fought back after being hit by a car and suffering a “catastrophic” brain injury.
“We somehow sensed that Michael cared perhaps as much as we did,” says Roger.
“Michael was an incredible role model for us,” agrees Laurie. “Michael always made Mark feel he was a very special, awesome person.”
The Newmarket couple nominated Carlin, a registered practical nurse at the Toronto Rehab Centre, for the Nightingale award.
He received honourable mention from the judging panel.
Carlin, 46, insists he simply does his job as it should be done: “To give the best care you can possibly give. And I’m only as good as the team I work with.”
But, as he talks about his life and career, it’s apparent he knows all about struggle, frustration and not giving in.
Born and raised in Belfast, he and his family came to Canada from Northern Ireland in 1979. He went into nursing, he says, against the wishes of his father, who “didn’t see it as a manly job.
“Then I lost a close friend very tragically and I just walked away from nursing.”
For several years, Carlin worked “all over the place . . . magazine design . . . nightclubs. I managed a strip club!”
Then he found an administrative job at St. Michael’s Hospital.
“Being non-clinical, there was only so much you could do for the patients,” he says.
“So I went back to school for two years and then to Toronto Rehab. I’m working now for my Bachelor of Nursing degree.”
Mark Rossi was in Carlin’s care beginning just before last Christmas to the end of January.
In the award nomination, his father writes Carlin “was constantly anticipating what he could do to help Mark recover . . . rather than simply responding to his immediate needs.
“Michael could always be counted on. He was always on the alert for how Mark was responding to medication, how bandages were affecting him, what made him comfortable, what caused him discomfort. He would then be creative in trying different options that might make him more comfortable or give him more flexibility.
“He didn’t accept the status quo, he worked to improve it.”
Rossi praises all of his son’s nurses at St. Mike’s and Toronto Rehab, but says Carlin “just stood out as being cut from a different cloth.”
Laurie Rossi adds: “We feel our son’s positive attitude towards his therapy and re-learning simple tasks were greatly encouraged by Michael. He praised Mark often, causing Mark to try even harder to improve both physically and cognitively.
“As Mark improved, Michael knew when to assist . . . when to let Mark be independent; patiently watching . . . ready to help when necessary.”
Carlin says rehab nursing means more than simply taking care of a patient. “It encompasses the whole family . . . they’ve just left acute care, they’re very on edge and stressed. You have to establish a relationship with them and instill trust . . . to let a mother know her son is safe and she doesn’t need to worry.”
Mark Rossi has been learning to walk and talk. He left Toronto Rehab “in really good condition, considering what he went through,” Carlin says.
Key to this was “establishing his trust, keeping him engaged, meeting his goals, ensuring he wasn’t getting depressed.”
“I would do for any patient what I did for Mark. That’s part of the reward: the gratification as a patient makes progress. You see them heal,” Carlin says.
“People dig deep and do come through some pretty tragic stuff. It’s amazing to see how resilient we are as individuals.”
He could be talking about himself. Another part of the reward from his job has been a deeper, more understanding relationship with his father. “We’ve become best friends.” “We have a new respect for each other. He’s proud of me . . . that I pursued my dream and I’m happy.
“For a while, I didn’t think the best of him. But I’ve come to see him for the man he is.”
That would appear to go double.
“I would do for any patient what I did for Mark. That’s part of the reward: the gratification as a patient makes progress. You see them heal.” MICHAEL CARLIN REHAB NURSE