SNACKING with MARTINA
MARTINA VIDUKA
Registered Nurse – ER
“We do not only give meds, make beds, feed patients and answer orders. We are our patient’s advocates and we work together with our physicians, we are the pillars of the system, we are the healthcare leaders and innovators.”
First of all, Happy National Nurses Day, we salute you for your hard work and bravery every day, especially on the frontlines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thank you! No place I would rather be right now.
What does National Nurses Day mean to you and how can we celebrate this day better in the future?
A lot. Nurses do not get the reputation that is true to what we do every day. It has been embedded in such a patriarchal medical profession, which slowly, we are moving away from in Canada.
We do not only give meds, make beds, feed patients and answer orders. We are our patient’s advocates and we work together with our physicians, we are the pillars of the system, we are the healthcare leaders and innovators.
Celebrate this day? Ha. Give us all the day off.
When you’re not busy saving lives, what are you up to?
Lots. When I am not at the bedside, I have been busy working on founding my own MedTech Startup in Berlin, Germany – Advosense
I am working with two amazing women, we are creating a disposable brief (diaper) with embedded sensor technology. The brief monitors geriatric patients for urinary incontinence, so we know when our patients are wet. This data is empowering my fellow nurses to provide better care in a more efficient way. I am super excited about it!
What are the go-to snacks you like to eat?
I am obsessed with chips right now, it’s bad I know. Have you tried those new White Cheddar Cheezies? Crack.
Do you brush your teeth when you wake up or after eating breakfast?
Variable. If I have time a nice brush post breakfast, for sure. Early mornings pre-day shift, I don’t even eat breakfast.
Do you wet your toothbrush before or after you apply toothpaste?
Apply, wet and I am going in.
Who would you choose to play you in a movie about your life?
Favourite Restaurant in Toronto?
There are so many new restaurants since I last lived here, I can’t keep up. Toronto has an amazing food scene. On a visit home though, I always try to make it to Imanishi, King Noodle and a quick poutine wherever I can find the closest one. Mexican, I miss good Mexican. Any recommendations?
What does equality mean to you?
Understanding people’s realities and experiences are unique and holding space for that but not discriminating against it.
When It’s all said and done, the title to your autobiography is called_____?
Last night a DJ saved my life.
It’s 2020, what does this decade look like to you?
2020 to be honest, I think this decade could go either way after the pandemic. We will either see more solidarity within our communities or the opposite and the world will become even more individualized and isolated within its borders. Let’s hope for the first one.
Who made the best ‘Sunday Morning’ song A) k-os B) No Doubt or C) Maroon 5?
B) No Doubt. Loved Gwen, met her on Much Music’s Imitate and Interactive back in the day and asked her how she kept her hair so blonde. I forget what she said…
What’s the last item you purchased with cash?
Every item, no one takes cards in Berlin, well, before COVID.
What does retirement look like to you?
Communal living in a self-created age-friendly space with my closest friends and their partners. Preferably, by the beach in Croatia.
According to you, who is the best-dressed person in business?
What skill are you determined to master?
Public speaking.
What three films best describe your life?
The most influential brand right now is?
Humm, I am not a brand junky but right now, I would have to say 3M.
Do you believe there is a way to turn your passions in to work, and if so, how?
For sure, you can always find an opportunity in your passions. Use that fire to drive you to find ways to make a change in what you naturally care about. I have a passion and love for the geriatric community and a bit of freak about efficient lean structures. I put those together and found an opportunity to create something that has positive change in healthcare for the two things I love most, the elderly and nursing.
Where is your happy place?
The dance floor (Berghian’s) but that’s closed for the unforeseeable future so…second up, I will take anywhere in nature.
What are the 3 Albums that soundtrack your life?
James Blake’s first self-titled Album
Whitney Houston – I’m Every woman from The Bodyguard Soundtrack
Not an album but Freddy K’s Krzrzrz daily SoundCloud stream has been getting me through this month
What three words would you use to describe your past three months of your life?
Real
Surreal
Nostalgic
What Public Figure inspired your career path?
Florence Nightingale. Just kidding. Honestly, some badass women I know personally that inspired me along the way. An old nursing manager, my incredibly dedicated friend Jyll Simmons, and my grandmothers, obviously.
What’s your favourite book or author?
So many to choose from. I read a lot of poetry, William Burroughs and the whole beat generation these days. I love how simple and beautiful Haruki Murakami’s stories are written.
Name something you couldn’t go a day without. Why?
Coffee. Why? Addiction. Plain and simple.
Dogs or Cats?
Dogs. Timmy – this little Shih Tzu I know, he’s my fav.
What things in life are still a mystery to you?
Human consciousness and the quantum world, time - space. Genetic memory passing. These things fascinate me, but are totally over my head.
Who is your role model and why?
My sister, Niki. We are total opposites, but she has this incredible way of empathizing with people, I admire it so much.
Indica, Sativa, or Hybrid?
No idea, how so not Canadian of me.