In 2024, over 240 Island Health Employees were awarded the Heather A. Simpson scholarship, which covers 50% of their tuition for any education upgrades within the healthcare field. To learn more about supporting education in our hospitals, click here.
Angela Morehouse
Scholarship Recipient, Master’s Degree Student, Nurse, Manager, Mother, Human
I have always loved working with people. Relationships are very important to me. It’s a big part of the reason why I chose a career in healthcare.
As a manager, it’s key that you listen to your staff, and listen in a way that allows you to pick up on the little details that give you insight into their daily work-life balance.
I want my staff to be successful at work but also to live a well-balanced life, and it’s for that reason that I’m always striving to be a better leader. It’s also one of the reasons why I decided to apply for the Heather A. Simpson Scholarship.
I had been considering continuing my education for a while and decided to better my leadership skills with a master’s degree in health management at McMaster University. The program is offered virtually, which is wonderful because it won’t take me away from my life and family here.
When I learned I would be one of the lucky recipients of the Scholarship I was so excited. It’s such a blessing for me. It’s going to help pay for half of my tuition and I can’t tell you what a relief that is. I’m a single working mom with two boys- so this, is a true gift.
I want to sincerely thank the donors who started and fund the Heather A. Simpson Scholarship. Without them, this dream of advancing myself, my skills… well, it just wouldn’t be possible.
“It’s such a blessing for me. It’s going to help pay for half of my tuition and I can’t tell you what a relief that is. “
“My children think it’s great that I’m going back to school in September, right alongside them!”
Over the past year I’ve moved into different management positions within Island Health where I’ve spent the past seven years. I’m currently serving as an interim manager with the Clinical Transformations Team, but the majority of my time has been in child, youth and family care, which I loved.
I started my career in nursing over 20 years ago in pediatrics. I come from a long line of nurses. My grandma trained in Vancouver; I like to say it’s the family business. We have other nurses in my family as well. The connection we share to caring for people, it’s special. I have always held onto to my grandma’s nursing graduation picture because it’s an important reminder.
I love spending my free time with my family. I have a giant table in my kitchen where everyone can sit together, eat together, and enjoy each other’s company. That’s important to me.
I love spending time with my boys, who are 8 and 10. We try to spend time outdoors whenever we can. We love camping, hiking and paddleboarding. I also love to try new recipes and my boys love sampling everything I make!
My children think it’s great that I’m going back to school in September, right alongside them! They get a kick out of going back to school shopping with mom. I think they picture me sitting in a desk next to them.
It’s not easy returning to school in your 40s, but it’s important to me that I show my children that you can dream a new dream for yourself at any age.
I want my boys to understand that carving out your education and career path is hard work, but you do it because it’s important to you. I would also add that when you’re starting your career you don’t always know where you’ll end up, a lot of things can change along the way, so embrace it.
Education is also a big component of most people’s jobs, especially if you’re in health care. There are always new advancements and training to help sharpening our skills.
This Scholarship is such an encouragement to health care workers to further their education and more importantly support their passion. All continuing education is important, and it is a requirement of many of our jobs; but the fact that we have people in the community that want to be cheerleaders for us and cheer us along by financially supporting us, it’s just invaluable.
“It’s not easy returning to school in your 40s, but it’s important to me that I show my children that you can dream a new dream for yourself at any age.”
They are humans first, who put other humans first.
More than 8,900 caregivers and staff work around the clock in our Victoria Hospitals
#HumansFirst is dedicated to sharing the stories from behind our hospitals’ frontlines. These stories remind us that those who provide care and keep the lights on in our hospitals also have lives outside of them. They have family and friends, they enjoy hobbies and interests, and they have all lived through their own personal triumphs and heartbreaks. Like all of us, they are human, and they have a story to tell.
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