North Grenville is celebrating National Nursing Week this week from May 9 – 15. The theme this year is “We Answer the Call”. Several nurses from the Kemptville District Hospital (KDH) were able to answer the question of why they became a nurse, with life experiences seeming to be an important motivator for all of them.
For Registered Nurse Fallon Gluck, who is also the Manager of Nursing Services for KDH, the journey to becoming a nurse started when she broke her arm at only six years old. “The extraordinary care I received from an emergency room nurse that evening stayed with me throughout my childhood and teenage years,” Fallon said. ”I knew I wanted to touch people’s lives in the same way my nurse had.”
Fallon has had no regrets about her career choice, and is proud to work with the team of nurses at KDH. “It is humbling, and a privilege, to walk among them,” she said.
Things were different for Registered Nurse Sarah Linney, who despite experiencing health and other challenges early in life, did not know she wanted to be a nurse until later in life. “I noticed that I was spending a lot of time caring for others and helping them through my experiences when they encountered difficulties in their health and lives,” she said. “I realized that nursing was my calling and kept rolling from there.”
Registered Practical Nurse Linda Morton has had a varied working life. She first joined the military, then became a real estate broker, and finally settled on nursing. She has always enjoyed working with people, but in her 40s, decided she wanted to do so on a more personal level and went back to school for nursing. “Nursing is so rewarding and has a lot of job satisfaction,” said Linda. “When people are ill, they are so vulnerable, frightened of the unknown, the loss of control to strangers who are poking and prodding, and in unfamiliar surroundings.” Comforting patients in these difficult circumstances is where Linda shines, and she likes to incorporate humour and physical contact in the healing process. “My motto is always to treat the patient the way I (or a family member) would like to be treated,” she said. “I have not only had the privilege of touching many people’s lives – and they mine – but I also find the nursing profession very humbling.”
Registered Nurse Amanda Quig had other hospital work experience before becoming a nurse, and it was seeing the intelligence, compassion, strength, and teamwork of the nurses that ultimately inspired her to become one. “Nurses have many ups and downs in our careers, and it’s hard work physically and mentally,” Amanda said. “But I have never looked back and said I regret becoming a nurse. There are so many amazing people that we work with. I would not be happy doing something other than healthcare.”
KDH is grateful for all of their highly skilled, professional, and compassionate nurses during Nursing Week, and every other day of the year!
