Artifacts

The first artifact I have chosen is my Frontline Hero Award. In 2021, I was awarded a “Frontline Hero” award from the Ontario Provincial Parliament. This award recognized the courageous efforts of myself and my colleagues at the Douglas Crossing Nursing Home during the Covid-19 pandemic. This award is very sentimental to me in my nursing journey as it was a major contributor to my decision to become a nurse. I worked at Douglas Crossing for 3 years, from the very start of the pandemic until the very end. This was my first position in a non-animal healthcare setting. I stepped into this job opportunity very suddenly and unexpectedly when the facility experienced 90% staff loss when it was one of the first facilities in Ontario to declare a coronavirus outbreak. I had no previous nursing experience, but jumped into roles as a care aid, screener, dietary aide, receptionist, porter, and cook, oftentimes working upwards of 70 hours a week to provide care to residents. This was an extremely difficult but rewarding period of my life in which I practiced resiliency, selflessness, and determination. It was through this position that I learned how nurses and health care professionals are a vital component of our community, and learned the many traits required to be a nurse. I have selected the award as an artifact given it marks a point of tremendous character development for myself, as well as signifying the start of my interest in the field of nursing.

The second artifact I have chosen to showcase is my admissions letter. My acceptance to Trent University’s Compressed Bachelor of Science in Nursing program was the first concrete step of my journey into nursing. I was extremely happy and excited when I received this email as the first step in my dream of becoming an Registered Nurse had come true. Prior to pursuing nursing, I had spent over a decade working as a veterinary assistant and technician, with the hopes of eventually becoming a doctor of veterinary medicine. Following graduation from high school, I attended the University of Guelph to obtain my Honors Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Biology and a minor in Biomedical Science. Following the completion of my degree I was rejected from veterinary school, putting my childhood dream to rest. At the time I did not have a backup plan and struggled to decide my next step. Fast forward a couple years to today and fortunately I have solidified my passion for the human side of healthcare in the nursing field!

The third artifact I have chosen to present is a certificate of completion for my first CPR course. I obtained this certificate in 2021 while I was working as a Veterinary technician in a general practice small animal hospital. This certificate is relevant to my nursing journey as it signifies my introduction to the emergency aspect of health care. Following completion of this certificate I went on to pursue emergency and critical care medicine in the veterinary field. I have now performed CPR several times on animals and have grown tremendous competency in code situations. My passion in the area of emergency medicine has greatly surfaced in the past couple years and I aspire to translate these skills into my (non-animal) nursing practice.

The fourth artifact I have chosen to share is my “bucket list”. To represent the list I have included a photo of one of my greatest extra-curricular accomplishments, a very difficult 22km hike I completed in 2023. This photo was taken in Thunder Bay at the Top of the Sleeping Giant lookout cliff. Although having a bucket list of experiences does not directly relate to nursing, I feel it is very symbolic and translational to the field. I feel this is an important artifact for me to showcase as it reminds me of the importance of having a life outside of work. Nursing is a very demanding career that often requires a lot of time and dedication. As nurses, we must be reminded to take time to ourselves to engage in activities that make us happy and support our overall wellbeing. Hiking is a key component of my life as it improves my health physically, mentally and emotionally. We must treat our health as important as we treat the health of our patients in order to be the best possible nurses.

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