With Fraser Health, most of my nursing experience has been in the Emergency Department. I have gained valuable experience caring for a diverse patient population, and met some great colleagues. I am grateful for the opportunity to step into a leadership role and further develop my skills as a clinical nurse educator (CNE) in the medicine unit at Eagle Ridge Hospital (ERH).

My role is to support the medicine nurses with any questions they may have about ongoing education needs, policies, procedures, skills or assessments. I also support and mentor new staff as they work through onboarding and provide formal education during regular site orientations, nursing skills days and our unit in-services. I love that I can share knowledge with others and be a resource. I’m also humbled by the fact that I don’t know everything, so it’s a learning journey for me too.

Our medicine program has a great mix of experienced and new nurses. I love how supportive the staff are with each other despite some challenges we face in health care – they are all so resilient. ERH is a smaller community hospital, so you get to know the other departments – it feels very much like you have a work family. My peers work well together as a team, we are equally passionate about education, nursing mentorship and patient safety. They were so helpful in my early days as a CNE, and I am forever grateful.

ERH is an exciting place to be since we were the first site in Fraser Health to go live with MEDITECH Expanse. We have been able to successfully transition to an electronic medical record system which improves patient care and the continuity of information.

As part of our ongoing quality improvement work, we encourage mobility with our patients. Educating our staff about the many benefits of increasing mobility such as, improving patient’s cardiovascular health, reducing the risk for pressure ulcers and delirium, and assisting to rebuild or maintain muscle strength – just to name a few.

When asked by my colleagues about working in a CNE position or similar, my advice is to always take the opportunity and try something new! I have learned so much by doing different roles and I wouldn’t be the same person had I stayed in one role. Learning curves aren’t always easy, but Fraser Health is a very supportive environment and we set you up for success. We also have routine check-ins with site leadership, and they have been flexible with our scheduling needs.

Working in the Tri-Cities area and being surrounded by the vast amount of greenery around the site, it feels like I work in a forest. I love the easy and nearby access to the mountains and the outdoors. There are plenty of hikes and trails that are varied in ability so there’s something for everyone. One my favourite activities is to visit the Brewery Row in Port Moody. I also enjoy going to Minnekhada Regional Park or Rocky Point Park – they are beautiful!

The community is diverse in the age and ethnic population, grocery markets and restaurants! I love trying different cuisines and there are many different restaurants to try. I grew up in Vancouver and while I will always love Vancouver, housing is more affordable in this area, and there isn’t as much traffic.

When I’m taking the time to recharge, I enjoy staying physically active through hikes, walks in local parks, and gym visits to help with mental wellness.