What if your work schedule looked like this?
📅 Six weeks on.
✈️ Six weeks off.
Trisha has been doing exactly that for nine years now.
A rotation schedule isn't for everyone. But for her it offers a balance of nursing, travel, family time and time to recharge.
We asked Trisha about her career and working arrangements in Teslin.
How did you come to work in the Yukon?
I am from New Brunswick and years ago, I was working in a hospital there.
At that hospital l was working 16-hour days. I was working 5 or 6 days a week because they were so short-staffed.
One day my husband said to me “You know what? You might as well just move into the hospital.”
That was a turning point for me.
When I saw the Government of Yukon was hiring community nurses on 8-week rotations, I was intrigued. At the time the schedule offered 8 weeks on and 8 weeks off.
Even though I would be away for extended periods, I realized I might actually have more quality time with my family.
I decided to try it.
I started as a float nurse and loved both the work and the lifestyle.
I've now been working as a nurse in the Yukon for 10 years. Today, I live in Carcross and work in Teslin as the primary health care nurse-in-charge.
What do you do at the health centre?
When people ask what my job is, I often say I'm a combination of nurse, pharmacist, X-ray technician, laboratory technician and paramedic.
The Teslin health centre has 2 nurses.
During the day, we provide a wide range of services, from prenatal care and chronic disease management to acute care.
We also share on-call responsibilities.
Because there are 2 of us, we divide the time we're on call. That means being available to respond if there's an emergency during the evening or overnight.
Being on call is unpredictable.
Sometimes you don't get a call for several nights.
Sometimes you get 4 calls in 1 night.
You never know what to expect, so you always have to be prepared.
Why does a rotation schedule work for you?
I think a 6-week rotation is great. How many jobs allow you to work 6 months of the year?
Being on call can be demanding. Sometimes you get calls every night, which means a lot of interrupted sleep.
That's why the time off is so important.
During my 6 weeks off, I travel and spend time with family.
I also recently opened a small souvenir shop in Carcross.
Working on a rotation schedule allows me to have a work-life balance that wouldn't be possible for me in many other nursing roles.
By the end of a rotation, you're often ready for a break.
Those 6 weeks off give me time to rest, recharge and come back ready for the next rotation.
Is there anything you'd like to add?
I got into nursing because I wanted to help people.
Even after ten years, I still learn stuff all the time. That is because you're seeing different things all the time.
Nursing is not for everyone. That is just the truth. There’s a lot of responsibility. We are on call a lot.
But it's highly rewarding.