Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Oct 18/02) - Since Grade 2, Shannon Swartzentruber has wanted to become a nurse.

"I had a cousin that I always looked up to and she was a nurse. I wanted to be just like her," she said while sitting in an emergency room at the Fort Simpson Health Centre, where she was on call Monday.

After graduating from Thomas Simpson school in 1997, Swartzentruber wasted no time in registering in the Aurora College nursing program in Yellowknife.

The two-year program offered extensive hospital tutelage and was quite demanding, she said.

"There were a lot of late nights working on assignments and early mornings working at the hospital," Swartzentruber, 23, recalled.

The hard work paid off as she and a dozen others graduated from the program in 1999.

Already a registered nurse but wanting to further her education, Swartzentruber enrolled in a Bachelor of Science Nursing program through the University of Victoria.

While the Aurora College program imbued her with the practical skills, the university courses, taken by correspondence, have enhanced her understanding of cultures.

"I'm more aware of the world view of others," she said.

Each nursing program required her to serve a six-week practicum, so she fulfilled both at the Fort Simpson Health Centre.

She described it as an "excellent learning environment" because she was able to work as a nurse practitioner.

Her duties included diagnosis, treatment and dispensing medication, which extends beyond what nurses in hospitals are normally required to do.

Swartzentruber added that staff from Deh Cho Health and Social Services have been very supportive, particularly Dr. Shane Barclay.

"He's been an amazing teacher and an important influence, coach and encourager in the process of becoming aware of my own capabilities," she said.

With nursing positions having already been filled at the Fort Simpson Health Centre, Swartzentruber departed for Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife on Tuesday.

She plans to work there on a casual basis until next summer when she and her fiance, Rich, are due to be married. Rich has applied to several universities as he is interested in becoming a doctor.

"We hope to come back and practise in the North when he's finished," said Swartzentruber.