Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (May 03/01) - Busy? Yes. Frantic? Sometimes.

But Kim Riles doesn't mind. As a nurse at the Fort Simpson Health Centre for the past year and a half, her days have been full.

"The thing is if there's down time you can always find something to do," said Riles, a graduate of the University of New Brunswick's four-year nursing program.

Her scheduled hours resemble a regular work week, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. She starts her days by assembling with her colleagues for a morning staff meeting. One nurse is scheduled for the morning walk-in clinic, two nurses work the busier afternoon slot. Riles spends her Tuesdays at the schools for health education, immunizations and screening.

Each nurse based in Fort Simpson is also responsible for assisting visiting specialists and accompanying the local doctor to a satellite community at least one day each month. Last week Riles made her rounds in Nahanni Butte.

While on duty, there's always the possibility of a patient on the verge of death, whether from a heart attack, accident or otherwise, being rushed into the health centre with little notice. That isn't daunting for Riles.

"My background is emergency, so I always gravitate towards those things," she said.

"I don't get scared. I get more excited than I do scared."

Of course emergencies don't always occur during regular business hours.

For that reason two of Fort Simpson's five community health nurses are always on call.

"So we're kind of lucky to have that extra support ... you know you've always got back-up if there's an emergency," said Riles.

Time spent with patients is rivalled by the administrative duties that come with the job.

"There's a ton of paperwork," she said, referring to reports filed with each patient in addition to monthly reports and communicable diseases records.

"Every time you draw a tube of blood or do an X-ray there's always paperwork."

The nurses are also encouraged to continue taking courses and workshops, which Riles said she appreciates.

The supplementary education is valuable in Fort Simpson, a setting where nurses are sometimes called upon to perform tasks normally handled by doctors such as suturing, casting and pre-natal care.

"We get to fully utilize the potential of our training," said Riles. "It's such a broad spectrum of practice."