IQALUIT
Far from the emergency rooms pictured on television Becky Lonsdale has worked, in a variety of settings since graduating in 2006.
Becky Lonsdale is a registered nurse working in Iqaluit. She was working in the Qikiqtani General Hospital but is now in a new position at the clinic. - Danielle Sachs/NNSL photo |
Born in Quebec but raised in the North, Lonsdale knew she wanted a career in
healthcare but wasn't sure which area she wanted to go into.
"I always thought nursing was really dynamic and I knew I'd enjoy it," she said.
Lonsdale graduated from the nursing program at Arctic College and got her degree from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. There was never a doubt in her mind that she would start her nursing career in the North.
"My family is up here and all my nursing training was up here," said Lonsdale. "Our resources are quite limited and I was used to working with those challenges and I wanted to grow as a nurse here."
Lonsdale is bilingual, speaking both Inuktituk and English. While her language knowledge wasn't an admission requirement, she said it has definitely been an asset.
"We have two or three, maybe more than that, but not too many," said Ron Wassink, communications specialist with the department of Health and Social Services.
While speaking Inuktituk is an asset, it comes with its own challenges while working in the hospital.
"If I'm going to be working on the adult ward, sometimes I'd have to stop providing nursing care for my patients just to talk to someone if there were no interpreters available," said Lonsdale. "It's one of the challenges of the system as it is right now.
"It happens to a lot of nurses if they're bilingual. That can happen if you're French bilingual too. But because we're a mostly Inuit population it's important."
Medical language can be complex and in Inuktituk it can become even more complex, said Wassink.
"In Inuktituk, the terminology doesn't always exist. For me, it's one of the things I notice," she said.
All it takes is spending a little more time talking about processes and changes in how someone is feeling.
Nursing in Nunavut isn't all challenges. There are bright moments and opportunities to travel.
"It might seem typical to a lot of nurses that work in obstetrics but when a labour and delivery goes really smooth, even when it doesn't but the baby comes out breathing and the mom is OK, those are really great moments," said Lonsdale.
Even some of the aspects that could be considered challenges end up having an upside. Working as a nurse in a small community can be tough when everyone knows who you are, said Lonsdale.
"Typically up here you're going to have an extended family if you're an Inuk," she said. "Some things like that are challenging, but a lot of people are quite appreciative. If there's an elder that passed away and you see someone outside of work they'll give you a big hug and say, 'Thank you.'"
For youth looking into a career in nursing, Lonsdale recommends learning more about yourself and figuring out why you really want to go into it.
"Some people can think it's all needles and gory blood kind of stuff but there's a lot more to it," she said. "Exposure is really great. Take advantage of job shadowing to get a realistic picture of what's involved in that type of career."
Lonsdale had a few inspirations as she was growing up. Her grandmother was a midwife in Pangnirtung and was known as a bit of a medicine woman.
"Some of our community health nurses that worked in the community were pretty amazing people and they were some of my earliest role models," said Lonsdale.
Nursing in the North is about adapting and working with the strengths of your personality, she said.
"In the world of nursing sometimes you have these big ups and these big lows. It's about trying to find a happy medium," said Lonsdale. "You're not just caring for the person, you're caring for their family as well."
