I always wanted to work in the medical field, but I wasn’t quite sure where. When a friend from high school told me how rewarding a career as a medical laboratory technologist was, it encouraged me to pursue this opportunity to work in health care.
I started my career as a medical laboratory technologist in Winnipeg, but when the opportunity to work in Flin Flon presented itself, I took it – and I am so glad I did.
How well do you know safe hand hygiene practices? Take our quiz to find out!
Clean Your Hands Day is an annual event to raise awareness about the significant impact hand hygiene makes in saving lives by reducing the spread of infections.
Proper hand hygiene is one of the single most important ways to stop the spread of infections. Unfortunately, it’s often overlooked.
Dear Nursing colleagues, mentors, students, and friends,
As preparations for National Nursing Week began earlier this year, we started to think about the many different ways that nursing – and nurses – have impacted our lives, both personally and professionally.
It’s a long and pretty incredible list, full of moments and people that we have been able to recall while sharing these stories, as if they were just yesterday.
It’s humbling to think about the impact that nurses have on the patients we care for, the teams we belong to, and the populations we support. The work that you do, every day, is work that comes from the heart, motivated by a desire to make things better for someone.
“My job allows me to continually learn and challenge myself,” Johnson said. “Each day is a little bit different from the last.”
– Jessica Johnson, Clinical Specialist
Jessica Johnson has been conscious of mental health since she was a child. Growing up in a home that openly discussed and understood the importance of mental health set Johnson on a path toward her current role as a mental health clinical specialist.
“I basically grew up discussing mental illness and recovery around the dinner table,” explained Johnson, whose parents were both experts in the field. “My dad was a counsellor and a professor who also wrote psychology textbooks and my mom held a psychology degree with a focus on child development and education.”
“I stumbled across the term non-binary and instantly had this ‘ah-ha’ moment, that was me. I was overcome with emotion that I finally felt validated. I felt like I belonged.” – Michelle Huot (they/them), Social Worker, Child Health Program, HSC Winnipeg
As a young person, I struggled with my identity. I didn’t fit in with society’s construct of being a ‘woman’ and its version of being ‘feminine’. I gave it my all to try and fit within that box.
“Harm reduction is really about meeting people where they are at with compassion and curiosity instead of judgement, helping them be as safe as possible,” – Karmen Bridges, Clinical Nurse Educator for Labour and Delivery at Health Science Centre.
Riding a bike comes with the inherent risk of falling and people still cycle. To reduce the potential for harm we wear a helmet. The exact same concept applies to providing harm reduction supplies to those who need them.
The Manitoba government is growing its physician workforce by funding more training seats for family physician graduates, Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara and Advanced Education and Training Minister Renée Cable announced today.
“Offering more medical residency positions, especially in rural and northern medicine, will allow us to train more physicians right here in Manitoba,” said Asagwara. “The fact that Manitoba has been able to fill all available residencies reinforces that the province is steadily rebuilding its workforce. We believe more doctors are seeing and will continue to see Manitoba as the place to establish their medical careers. To all students, residents, and doctors in Manitoba – thank you for choosing to practise medicine here and for the determination, compassion and professionalism your career demands.”
“Being a paramedic, when we arrive on scene we’re meeting people for the first time and right away they trust me to do what is right and what is best for them. I’m very honoured to do what I do,”
– Helena Zacarias, Primary Care Paramedic, Flin Flon
New to Canada, Helena Zacarias practiced her English working at a fast-food restaurant, greeting and taking orders from her customers. One day a conversation with a customer in uniform had a lasting impact on the trajectory of her life.
Chao-Yu Hu has seen and experienced a lot in her relatively new nursing career. Nearly two years after her graduation from the University of Manitoba, Hu is building her skillset working in facilities located across the province, finding both adventure and opportunities to grow.
“Just a couple of years ago, a patient was telling me about their hometown and I must have looked puzzled because they told me I should travel more,” said Hu.“I remember saying, ‘you’re right’.”
That patient interaction, and some follow-up conversations with HSC colleagues, had a memorable and lasting impact on the young Manitoba nurse, inspiring Hu to pursue a role in Manitoba’s new Provincial Nursing Float Pool.
“The communities, the cultures, the critical thinking skills I would have the privilege to experience and attain in these roles, all appealed to me,” said Hu, who had worked as a health care aide and an Undergraduate Nurse Employee (UNE) at a Winnipeg hospital before transitioning to a nurse at Health Sciences Centre after graduation.
Amanda Mann’s childhood was punctuated by interactions with the health system. Frequently in and out of hospital, she had a front-row view of the fast-paced – and often hectic – moments within health care.
“As a kid, seeing the doctors, nurses and health care workers in very busy and chaotic situations, act in such a calm and confident way really interested me,” said Mann. “They just knew what to do. I would watch them and think ‘I want to do that one day’.”
As her personal experiences turned into a calling, Mann began to pursue opportunities in health care, volunteering during her high school years in the local candy striper program at Percy E. Moore Hospital in Hodgson, Manitoba. The facility has played a central role in Mann’s decade of nursing.
Working in a role that involved caring for others was always what Danita Lechelt pictured when she thought about her future career. Growing up, Lechelt was inspired both by watching her mother (also a nurse) and from the experience of having someone close to her, a cousin, receiving health care throughout her childhood.
“Ever since I was in elementary school, I have known without a doubt that this was the career I wanted to pursue,” said Lechelt, a Clinical Resource Nurse at St. Anthony’s General Hospital in the northern community of The Pas. “It felt very natural for me to move into a role where I’m able to take care of others, and see people not just as patients but as people, with families who love them.”
Lechelt worked in a number of locations across Manitoba, including Dauphin and Winnipeg, before finding the perfect fit for her career – and her family – in The Pas.
“I have always liked working in a service type industry and hearing other people’s stories that I have met along the way. In health care, the people you meet is endless. You meet people from all over the world. Becoming a nurse has been the perfect career choice for me.”
Colton Robak’s drive and dedication to provide care in his home community of Dauphin and its surrounding areas led him to pursue a career in nursing and he hasn’t looked back since.
Inspired by his mother, who also works in health care, Robak started out as a health care aide before deciding to further his education at Brandon University to become a nurse.
“Once I started working with a lot of nurses, I was struck by the variety of work they do and it really inspired me to go back to school,” Robak said. “I have always liked working in a service type industry and hearing other people’s stories that I have met along the way.
Welcoming a new baby into the world can be a life-altering experiencing, often accompanied by joy, fear, anxiety, and even some unexpected challenges for some parents. At Health Sciences Centre, these families and their newborns are cared for, supported, and offered some specialized education by the incredible care team members at HSC’s Women’s Hospital, Manitoba’s largest and busiest birthing centre, which welcomes more than 6,000 babies in an average year.
Unique to the HSC teams are three lactation specialists who are dedicated to offering support to new parents and their babies.
“One of the beautiful things about dialysis nursing is that we have the privilege of connecting with our patients and their families on a deeper level. Seeing them three times a week allows us to form relationships, build trust, and care for them more holistically, often discovering issues sooner and finding solutions to their medical problems faster.” – Tanya Blatz, Clinical Resource Nurse, Dialysis Unit, BTHC
As a young woman Tanya Blatz considered many careers, and among her top choices were dietitian, teacher, or nurse – like her mom. She didn’t know it then, but years later Blatz would discover a job that encompassed all of those roles.
Ndinda Musyoka has always preferred the long, scenic drive between Winnipeg and The Pas, and Thompson over the option of much shorter flights. She credits the time spent driving as an opportunity to take in Manitoba’s breathtaking landscape and to center herself before starting a new rotation during her time working as a travel nurse in the Northern Manitoba communities.
“Driving gave me a chance to just enjoy the landscape. Manitoba is beautiful,” said Musyoka while sharing that the opportunity offered her much more than gorgeous scenery, giving her a chance to expand her skills, improve her sense of leadership, and build resilience.
In Manitoba, a survey and report on experiences of racism by First Nations peoples in the health care system was developed and published by Southern Chiefs Organization.
University of Manitoba’s Rady Faculty of Health Sciences has an Office of Anti-Racism and has created a Library Guide with links to many resources.
The Black Health Education Collaborative is a community of scholars and practitioners committed to improve Black health and addressing anti-Black racism.
Racism has a negative impact on mental health. Resources are available to health care workers across Manitoba.
Shared Health’s Mental Health and Wellness Resource Finder offers resources for health care workers and their families. Booster session videos and other resources are available here.
Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations has developed a Black, Indigenous and Persons of Colour Mental Health Resource List, available here.
Hope for Wellness Helpline is available 24/7 offering support for Indigenous people across Canada by phone at 1-855-242-3310 or online.
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers support 24 hours a day, including culturally-sensitive services in more than 200 languages, including Indigenous counsellors and an Indigenous Resource Consultant able to assist clients in connecting with an Elder or seeking other culturally appropriate healing services. More information about EAP is available here.
In Manitoba, a recent commitment to eliminating all forms of Indigenous-specific racism in healthcare was made by organizations serving Northern Manitoba. Read the declaration here.
Visit the Shared Community page and find out how reflecting and celebrating the diverse individuals and groups (Shared Pride, Black History, Asian Heritage, Indigenous Health, Francophone Health) that make up the populations we serve – and the diversity of our workforce – are at the heart of Shared Health.
Download posters and visual reminders to post in your work area here and check back regularly for new and added resources.
What is Systemic Racism? this article provides Canadian background and context about what systematic racism is and how to fight it.
This timeline shares Canada’s racism history.
Learn in this article how we need to be anti-racist to fight systematic racism.
There are many anti-racism books available, this reading list, is a great starting place. The Disrupting Racism Steering Committee also recommends Structures of Indifference: An Indigenous Life and Death in a Canadian City.
Words are important. Understand what you are saying and how it could be received or interpreted, choose words with intention, and take care to be respectful in all interactions. Consider these reminders from antiracist.gov.bc.ca.
Language and accepted terminology may change over time. Appreciate that words are dynamic and may have a different meaning depending on the context and the delivery.
Mistakes will happen. It is important to acknowledge them and continue learning.
Listening is just as important as being careful in the words that you choose. Careful listening will allow you to hear the terms that individuals use to describe themselves.
A Glossary of Terms is being created to support our activities.
This 10-minute video from CBC shares What Systemic Racism in Canada Looks Like.
Learn about microaggressions and why they are so harmful.
How to Tell Someone They Sound Racist describes approaches to hold someone accountable for their behavior.
Learn about four key steps for Navigating Difficult Conversations in this 10-minute video.
