Dumindra

Kandana Arachchige

"To do what nobody else will do, a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through; is to be a nurse." - Rawsi Williams -

I am a newly graduating nursing student with a passion for surgical and community nursing. I use knowledge, skills and human understanding to deliver high quality patient and family centered care. My immediate career goal is to gain valuable work experience as a nurse while sharpening my bilingual (English/French) language skills in the workplace. Long-term, however, I would like to continue with higher education in order to establish myself as a holistic health caregiver. Three phrases that describe me best: continuous learner, compassionate, a go-getter!

Contact Info

I have gained extensive undergraduate nursing research experience on Family and Patient Centered Care, Urinary Incontinence and Double Duty Caregiving. I have co-authored two journal articles (currently under review) and will soon be submitting a third article for review as a sole author.

I am also a supporter of global and community collaboration. I have an abundance of culturally diverse experiences from participating in programs, such as Au Pair in France, Explore in Quebec, Languages at Work in Quebec, Summer Work Federal Student Exchange in Quebec, Regional Nursing Conference in Saskatchewan on Upstream Thinking and working for International Student Centre at the University of Manitoba.

Community Nursing

336 hours

Geriatric Nursing

192 hours

Maternal and Child Care

96 hours

Medical Nursing

160 hours

Mental Health Nursing

96 hours

Palliative Nursing

96 hours

Surgical Nursing

610 hours

University of Manitoba

Bachelor of Nursing (Apr 2014) GPA: 3.79

Current Certifications

WHIMIS, MLT, Non-violent Crisis Intervention, CPR-HCP, PHIA, Pyxis 4000

Jan 2014 - Apr 2014

Victoria General Hospital - Surgical Unit

Senior Practicum

  • Stabilized patients post surgeries with a rapid patient turnover.
  • Communicated therapeutically with patients and family members during distressing events.
  • Collaborated with physicians and nurse colleagues, occupational and physiotherapists, home care and nutritionists.
  • Intervened using critical thinking and problem-solving skills during acute medical exacerbations (e.g. blood loss, shortness of breath) and safely administered medication using various medication routes.
Nov 2013 - Dec 2013

Grace Hospital

Mental Health Nursing

  • Established trusting therapeutic relationships with clients to assess their mental, physical and psychosocial functioning.
  • Performed Mini-Mental Status Exams and carried out counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy and psychotherapy sessions according to patient's care plan.
  • Assisted patients with physical, recreational activities, their ADLs and prepared them for possible challenges post-discharge.
Sep 2013 - Oct 2013

Riverview Personal Care Home

Palliative Rotation

  • Assessed spiritual needs and intervened holistically to provide care for patients and families at end of life in order to improve quality of life.
  • Facilitated therapeutic communication between families and clients on topics, such as conflict resolution, expectations and needs, meaning and purpose of life, and maintaining healthy relationships.
May 2013 - Jul 2013

Youville Centre

Community Health Nursing

  • Collaborated with nurses, nutritionists, and social workers to prepare teaching material for pre-natal and post-natal classes.
  • Conducted surveys to assess social determinants of health, learning needs and styles in order to create customized learning materials and measured knowledge acquisition post-teaching.
  • Presented nursing knowledge gained from Youville Centre to other nursing colleagues at seminars and provided feedback on each other's site projects.
Jan 2013 - Apr 2013

Health Sciences Centre - GD3 Trauma and Acute Care Unit

Surgery and Restoration

  • Used medical and surgical interventions for post-surgical patients after traumatic experiences, such as gun shots and stab wounds where psychosocial care was prioritized.
  • Communicated effectively with nurses, physicians, HCAs, OT/PT, pastoral care and home care staff to ensure holistic and family centered care has been set up for safe discharge.
Sep 2012 - Dec 2012

Victoria General Hospital – Unit 4 South

Medical Nursing

  • Cared for acutely ill and medically complex patients with numerous co-morbidities using critical thinking skills and theoretical learning.
  • Administered medicine using various routes including enteral, parentaral and topical.
  • Collaborated with interdisciplinary team members to ensure safe discharge to the community.
Mar 2012 - Apr 2012

Donwood Manor

Geriatric Community

  • Focused on health promotion and disease prevention strategies, such as teaching and early screening.
  • Organized a series of one-day clinics, such as foot care clinic, blood pressure clinic, nutrition clinic and medication safety clinic where health screening and teaching were performed using educational posters and pamphlets.
Jan 2012 - Feb 2012

Deer Lodge Personal Care Home – Tower 4

Geriatric Facility

  • Attended to medical and psychosocial well-being of elderly clients and encouraged independence with ADLs while assisting appropriately.
  • Collaborated with family members to deliver patient and family centered care and promoted higher quality of life through engaging patients in recreational activities and socialization.
Nov 2011 - Dec 2011

Home Visit and Principal Sparling School Visit

Maternity and Child Community

  • Assessed needs and strengths of a family and created a map of available community resources in order to increase family access to community resources.
  • Conducted teaching to the family head on using Canada’s Food Guide and demonstrated the use of serving sizes using samples (eg: deck of cards, dice)
  • Assessed school grounds for potential health risks and injury and presented findings to teacher.
  • Prepared and delivered a presentation on Dental Hygiene for Principal Sparling School grade 4 students in collaboration with a student nurse colleague.
Sep 2011 - Oct 2011

St. Boniface Hospital – Unit 3

Labour and Delivery and Postpartum Rotation

  • Cared for pregnant mothers and families at the time of delivery, performed continuous assessments, intervened using medical and non-medical approaches and ensured safe transfers to the postpartum unit post-birth.
  • Educated new families on healthy child rearing, correct breast feeding techniques and changes in the reproduction system for the new mother.
  • Provided support for the new families to adapt to life changes post-birth and to overcome challenges during child rearing.

Available upon request