Let’s continue our series of meeting people working in Yukon healthcare with the Government of Yukon's Department of Health and Social Services.
Today we travel to Carmacks and meet Mathew. He's a former service member with the Canadian Armed Forces. In summer 2023 he visited the Dawson region with his family. In his words they “fell in love” with the Yukon. After the trip he looked into opportunities in the territory and recently joined the Government of Yukon. He now works as a primary health care nurse. Let’s meet Mathew and learn more about his role in a small community.
What kind of work do you do in Carmacks?
At the health centre we offer primary health care for people in the Carmacks area. We do immunizations, preventative screening and episodic care. If somebody gets a sore throat, we assess it. If someone needs antibiotics, we're able to provide them. For emergency care, if people call, we’re available 24 hours a day.
For routine screenings like pap tests or prostate screenings, we do those as booked appointments. It’s the same for immunizations. For the most part, we try to prioritize what is most important when people come in. Emergency care is always taken care of first, then we triage by the severity of illness.
How did you get into health care?
I worked for the Canadian Armed Forces before working with the Government of Yukon. In the military, we do not do primary care the same way. We have the same goals, but the methods are different. With the Armed Forces you're deployed anywhere in the world on a moment's notice. This made maintaining family life and work-life balance challenging.
My route to Carmacks started in the summer of 2023. I vacationed up here with the family. We spent time around Dawson. My family wanted to see the mines and travel along the Dempster Highway. We fell in love! After that trip I looked for an opportunity to bring me back to the Yukon. I saw a way of life that I wanted for me and my family.
What makes for a good day at work here?
I think it's knowing that I'm here for the people in the community. They know the resources are limited and they’re appreciative of everything we offer. The territory has an expanded scope of practice, we can address a lot of issues. 1 example is sutures. Do we need to send someone in for a small cut they got while cutting an apple? Probably not. The expanded scope lets us take care of a lot of those minor issues here, leaving the hospital resources for those who really need them.
You have a wide scope of responsibilities here. How does that feel?
For me it's nice knowing that the government and YRNA (Yukon Registered Nurses Association) recognize nurses have a varied background in education and experience. It’s nice that they trust us to deliver frontline health care to Yukoners. It's nice to be recognized for our education experience and capabilities.
You are working a rotation schedule, can you tell us about that?
You know, one thing I’ve realized in life is that time is more important than money. The greatest thing is to have the freedom to take time. I'm currently doing a rotation of 6 weeks in and 6 weeks out. The work-life balance is incredible. When I go home it's my time. I don't need a second job to supplement my income. This rotation, with the pay, has been more than I need to survive and keep happy.
