Nanny in Lethbridge, Alberta

I am currently a second year Nursing student at Trinity Western University. Aside from school, I volunteer at the Vancouver Children’s Hospital once a week as well as work as a caretaker for a young lady with an autoimmune disease. My work as a caretaker has prepared me immensely for my nursing career. The young lady I care for is a quadriplegic, ventilator dependent, and needs medications throughout the day. I have learned many skills such as how to care for a tracheostomy (such as cleaning, suctioning, replacing parts), giving medication through a gastrostomy tube, caring for a urinary catheter, and other skills.  I have also solidified basic skills such as bed baths, use of lifts, and wound care. Although the skills that I have learned and solidified are extremely valuable, more importantly, through my experience as a caretaker I have learned to truly care for the patient and her needs in a very thorough and effective way. As she is unable to do the things she would like to, it is my job and personal mission to be her hands and feet and to maintain her autonomy. I have been challenged in many ways, but I believe that if I apply that mission to all patients that I work with in my future, I can be a nurse that gives holistic care in order to meet the medical, physical, and emotional needs of patients. My volunteer experience at the Vancouver Children’s Hospital has taught me how to connect with patients as well as families that are amidst sensitive circumstances. I have learned to effectively communicate and connect while following the strict boundaries of a therapeutic relationship that is given to volunteers. Additionally, my volunteer experience has exposed me to many rare and extreme medical diagnoses as I was in the PICU and am currently volunteering in the mental health unit working with young teens and children with eating disorders. Although I am unable to contribute to the hospital team in a medical way I learn from the nurses through conversation and observation. On the Mental Health Unit, I tutor teens with their school work as well as act as a listening ear as they struggle through difficult times. In addition to my current activities, I have experienced independence from a young age. I attended a boarding school for high school which pushed me to be independent and develop maturity, and immediately after graduating I moved to Costa Rica to study Spanish for 8 months. My experience abroad exposed me to different cultures which I believe will benefit me throughout my nursing career. I also studied Psychology at the University of Victoria for a year and a half, while maintaining a part-time job and living alone. Not only is the field of Psychology very relevant to many aspects of nursing, I believe that my time in Victoria helped develop me in ways that allow me to thrive as a Nursing student.