What I love most about my job is helping people—especially the connections I form with patients. I get to spend time with them, learn their stories, and support them through some of their most vulnerable moments. This connection is unlike any other a patient will have during their hospital stay. Doctors and surgeons will perform the procedures to improve your health, but a nurse provides the day-to-day care that helps patients recover, that’s a very special connection. What’s even more rewarding is seeing a patient’s progress after surgery, watching them regain their strength, and knowing you played a part in that recovery. The best part is being able to send them home ready to return to the life they love.
After graduating from the Camosun College Practical Nursing Diploma program last May, I was lucky enough to get a job on 7S, a surgical care unit at Royal Jubilee Hospital. It’s here that I get to make these meaningful connections with patients every day and I can honestly say no two days are the same. I love that I get to use a wide range of my nursing skills. One day I might remove a patient’s staples or a drain, the next, I might be managing a complex wound or dressing. What motivates me most is being able to support patients through each stage of recovery. There aren’t many units where I can use such a broad scope of practice, and I really value the opportunity to apply everything I learned in school.
Because of the diverse needs of the patients on our unit, my work as an LPN aligns closely with that of my fellow RNs, making the role both challenging and incredibly fulfilling. Every shift begins with connecting as a team and getting to know our patients, setting the tone for the care ahead. From there, the day moves quickly through rounds—monitoring vitals, administering medications, completing assessments, and carefully charting each step of a patient’s progress. There are often additional duties in between which makes the day very busy, but the entire nursing team is so supportive. In the six months that I’ve been with the team, I’ve been able to learn valuable lessons from everyone.
During my practicum, I met a patient recovering from hip replacement surgery who left a lasting impression on me. After several days in bed, she was feeling a bit down and wanted to wash her hair. I remembered seeing shampoo caps online and made it my mission to track them down in the hospital. It was a small gesture, but it made a huge difference to her mood and comfort. Moments like that remind me why I chose nursing. For me, it’s about doing all that I can to help my patients feel comfortable and cared for.
One of the things I love most about working on the surgical unit is that it’s a place where everyone gets better. Much of our LPN training is in long-term care, where we really get to know our patients and stay with them for a long time. You get close to them, but there’s not necessarily a lot you can do to significantly improve their health. But on the surgical unit, you see people improve every day and you get to send them home feeling much better than when they arrived. Sometimes the change happens quickly, especially now with the introduction of robotic surgeries—where recovery can be measured in hours instead of days. There is a high patient turn over, but that’s the point. I like being able to give my patients my full energy and care for a short, intensive period, and then watch them move forward in their recovery at home.
I once thought I wanted to be a doctor, but over time I realized that nursing is where I truly belong. For me, nursing is about community—showing up for the people around you with compassion, respect and a willingness to listen. I’m Métis, Ojibwe and Anishinaabe with deep family roots, I carry a strong sense of responsibility into my work. That connection shapes how I care for my patients, creating spaces where people feel safe, supported and truly seen.
That sense of purpose not only shapes how I care for patients today, but also guides how I hope to grow in my career. I look forward to continuing my education and becoming a registered nurse one day. I’d love to pursue my dream of working in the NICU—caring for some of our smallest patients and their families.
Every day at Royal Jubilee Hospital reminds me that I’m exactly where I’m meant to be. I hear so many patients share their positive experiences, which makes me feel incredibly proud to be part of this team. More than anything, I just want to keep doing work that makes a difference— supporting patients and helping people feel a little better each day.
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.
