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Denise Reid: Fostering Connection and Community Through Expert Care
May 15, 2025
A Lifelong Commitment to Caring
Denise Reid graduated from the General Hospital School of Nursing in 1990 and began her career at the Janeway in neonatal intensive care. Since then, her journey has included work at the Waterford’s ECT Clinic and, for over a decade now, at the Mount Pearl Square Hemodialysis Unit.
Reflecting on what it means to be a nurse, she says:
“I guess it would mean that giving myself — giving my all to somebody — all of my expertise, all my knowledge, all of my compassion to make their treatments, their day better…”
At Mount Pearl Square, Denise is part of a team caring for over 200 patients. Many of them require dialysis three or four times a week, for hours at a time. The result is long-term relationships that grow deep:
“You go through all the ups and downs with them and that’s an incredible thing too when you become family with them, and they know about your children and your pets and you know about theirs…”
Nothing Happens Without the Team
Denise is emphatic that the strength of her workplace lies in the team.
“This is not a place where you can just take your own patients and just put a bubble around yourself… you have to work together, or things will never ever happen.”
She sees supporting new nurses as essential to that team environment, especially now that most staff are newer to the profession.
“If they are feeling more comfortable and confident, then they know that they can have a conversation like, you know, what am I doing with this patient? Can you help me out…”
And while formal debriefing sessions are sometimes offered, Denise finds informal peer support the most meaningful:
“The best debriefing session is with somebody who knows exactly what you just went through… it’s nurses supporting nurses and it has to be that way, or you’d never survive. You’d never go back again.”
Making Nurses Feel Celebrated
Denise’s colleague Sandi Pinksen nominated her to be recognized during National Nursing Week, not only for her excellent care and mentorship, but for the time and joy she brings to celebrations.
Denise organizes a full slate of activities every year:
“I’ve been doing this for a couple of years now and it’s a lot of nurses — it’s over 70 nurses.”
“I put up the graduation pictures during nurses’ week… I have them all up on the wall with their names and the patients love to look at that too, and see us when we were younger, of course.”
Sandi wrote that Denise “plays her ‘Price is Right’ music as she makes her rounds each day to deliver their little prize,” and that her efforts help people “feel celebrated and appreciated” even in such a high-pressure field.
Delivering Expert Care in a Complex Environment
Asked about the term “expert care,” Denise replied:
“All care should be expert care. Once you’re in your designated area and you’ve done your mentorship and you still have support around you… the whole patient should be seen not just through the symptoms, but every area of their lives should be positively impacted by expert care.”
The dialysis unit has changed significantly since she began.
“Much higher acuity, much sicker. It’s incredible.”
We see patients now with cancer, so they’re having cancer treatments and having dialysis treatments… just so much more now than dialysis.”
“We’re doing IV antibiotics; we’re doing blood transfusions… And of course mental health issues — that goes everywhere.”
Despite this, Denise says the team never loses sight of the whole person:
“You still try to keep them positive and engaged in their care…we’re trying to give them quality of life.”
A Profession That Changes Lives
Whether it’s in moments of joy or crisis, Denise finds fulfilment in knowing her work matters:
“You have the ability to change for the better somebody’s life… and I think that’s all that any of us want to do.”
And she is quick to credit her coworkers:
“I guess I just want people to know how proud I am of the amazing team I work with. I’m just one small part of a truly incredible group of nurses.”