MELFORT - National Nursing Week is from May 6 to 12 and creates an opportunity to celebrate over 19,000 nurses working across the province for their contributions to the health and well-being of Saskatchewan residents.
Kari Hiebert, RN at the Melfort hospital, has worked as a nurse for 16 years in both the acute care ward and the emergency department. She has also worked as a clinical nurse educator.
Hiebert grew up on a farm near Gronlid and graduated from Gronlid School. She has also worked as an Exercise Therapist and a Certified Athletic Therapist in Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Hiebert told SASKTODAY.ca, “I started to become interested in the profession of nursing as I had other friends with similar post-secondary education backgrounds go into nursing. I went into the nursing profession for a variety of reasons. I felt that what I was doing at the time had a good crossover into another healthcare field, I was interested in prevention of injury as well as prevention and management of chronic diseases such as diabetes and I was aware of the nursing shortage and felt that it would be a profession where I could have job security and make a living wage to support myself and a family. I knew that nursing was a profession where there were so many different options to work in.”
Hiebert said, “It might be cliche to say but it is about helping people. As a nurse we are there to help educate and advocate for people of all ages and in many situations. It is a privilege to be there for the community at their most vulnerable of times.”
Professionally, Hiebert commends the staff that work with her at the Melfort Hospital, which make coming to work easy. Hiebert said, in school, “…we learned that it is important to look at the whole picture for each person, as there are many aspects of a person's life and needs that affect their health and the best way to provide care. This is the same but has become more complex. Health conditions and diseases are more complex, treatments have become more complex and multifactorial, access to the right care at the right time has become more challenging and technology is more complex.”
The challenges she sees are that more patients need access to mental health support. Patients, of all ages come to the ER with mental health needs and there are very limited resources for them.
Hiebert said, personally, achieving a work/life balance can be hard. Acute care is a 24/7 job and nurses work shift work, overnight, on weekends and all holidays. It can be a challenge to set a good example and maintain a healthy lifestyle depending on your work schedule. It can be hard to be at all family functions or your kids' activities.
This year's theme for National Nursing Week, May 6 - 12 is "Changing Lives, Shaping Tomorrow," which recognizes the contributions and impact nurses have on individuals, communities and the future of health care.
Currently, 13,605 RNs, 4,310 LPNs, 811 RPNs and 360 NPs are practicing in the province.
