Meet Karine, a registered dietitian at Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster.

“My role is to cover different acute and outpatient sites in various areas of practice – medicine, neuro, diabetes, renal, etc. and my day-to-day duties vary depending on the site. Some days I provide services related to nutrition optimization and enteral nutrition provision. While other days I provide nutrition counselling and education and much more!

What I love most about my jobs is being able to connect with people about something that is so vital to our daily lives: food (and nutrition). My greatest joy is seeing the power of nutrition in healing, connecting, energizing, and in some cases, providing the much-needed hope to patients and their loved ones.

My team and the warm, welcoming environment they provide every day is what has made working here an exceptional experience. They are so special to me because even though I was new to the team (and the province), they welcomed me with open arms.”

Karine relocated to British Columbia to join our team at Fraser Health. “In my personal experience, moving to a new province was scary and has been intimidating at times. However, the joy and excitement I feel going to work has helped me have a sense of purpose and fulfillment as I provide patient-centred care. In my professional experience, being privileged to be offered a permanent full-time position as a new graduate has been something I feel very fortunate about every day.”

British Columba is beautiful. I enjoy the morning SkyTrain rides to Royal Columbian Hospital (especially when the weather is good), because I get to admire the view of the Fraser River prior to starting work each day. Seeing the mountains and the water really uplifts my mood at the beginning of the day, which makes a profound difference in the way I care for my patients. I look forward to hiking those mountains when spring comes! New Westminster is located right along the Fraser River. When there is a sunset or sunrise, the landscape of the region, along with the mountains in the distance, is absolutely astounding. I also chose this community because of how local, calm, and peaceful it is.”

We asked Karine what advice she would give to someone considering a similar position or possible employment with Fraser Health, and here’s what she had to say. “Fraser Health offers a comprehensive new graduate program that makes you feel supported, uplifted, and encouraged when you’re at the beginning of your career.”