Coming up on his first anniversary at Oak Valley Health, Benton Schmidt, Registered Nurse, Inpatient Mental Health is passionate about helping people and making a difference through his work.
“For the longest time, I thought I was going to grow up to be an engineer, like my dad,” says Benton. “But, I went on a trip in grade 11 to Tanzania and realized the kind of difference I can make in the lives of others. I felt that nursing was the most direct way to impact the greatest number of people.”
Benton works in the Inpatient Mental Health unit and supports patients both non-pharmacologically, by providing coping strategies and resources to patients, and medically, by educating patients about medication and administering it. Benton also de-escalates situations where patients feel overwhelmed by helping them identify their triggers and working to find the best ways to cope with them.
This is Benton’s first role since graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Western Ontario and he’s grateful to be working in mental health.
“Our patients can often feel marginalized and victimized by society, so being that compassionate spokesperson for them has been a big interest of mine.”
“I’ve always been passionate about mental health. Building rapport with the patients, and establishing trust and open communication is really important,” says Benton.
Outside of work, you can probably find Benton catching up on sports. As an avid fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Blue Jays and Buffalo Bills, Benton loves to watch any games he can with friends and family, and playing in a few fantasy leagues as well.
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