Meet Sana, a graduate of the Student Training and Employment Program (STEP).
Sana grew up in Whitehorse and studied nursing. She got her start in Yukon health care as a STEP student at Whitehorse General Hospital.
Today, she’s a registered nurse who provides care in people’s homes.
When did you decide to go into health care and why?
I think health care was always on my mind. My mom was an assistant at Macaulay Lodge and as kids, my sister and I used to volunteer at the lodge. Watching people care and advocate for vulnerable populations really kick started my love for health care.
(Editor’s note: Macaulay Lodge was a continuing care home in Whitehorse. It closed after Whistle Bend Place opened.)
What do you like about your role?
I think nursing, and specifically home care, is such a good place for someone like me who really likes to talk with people and build relationships.
Home care is a unique work environment because you get to go into people's homes, where they often feel most comfortable. You also get to work with them on things that go beyond their physical health.
We provide nursing care such as wound care and blood work, based on what each client’s health care team recommends.
A lot of our work is also connecting clients with social supports and advocating for their needs in the community.
As home care nurses, we get to support the whole person. To me, that’s the most important thing.
I think it's just a great place to work.
Can you take us back to your first job in health care?
I started out as a STEP student. The summer after my second year of university, I came back home and worked at Whitehorse General Hospital as a patient-care assistant.
It really helped solidify the foundations of the education that that I received in university.
That role made me want to come back every summer and keep exploring the different areas of health care in the Yukon.
What was it like working in health care as a student?
I'm sure all nurses will agree that nursing school is quite an intimidating experience!
When I began my first STEP job, I was quite timid. I was quite afraid of stepping into the professional world. The STEP program really allowed me to develop as a student and as a professional, with hands-on and supportive learning.
It helped me gain confidence in myself, and in my ability to give back to the community that I grew up in.
I want to thank the nurses, other health care workers and even cafeteria staff who helped me grow into the community nurse I am today.
We all got to know each other. A lot of different health care workers took me under their wing and made a point of showing me different things. They just made it feel like such a welcoming environment.
That's part of why I came back here to the Yukon, because the support I received was just tremendous.
What's unique about working in the Yukon?
For me, it’s about knowing the community. I think it’s a beautiful thing to visit different neighbourhoods and know the people you’re working with.
You have these connections with your clients. Maybe you both go to the pool a lot or really like the same restaurant.
I think you can have a stronger connection to the community here because it’s a small town.
What are the challenges of working in home care?
One element is that when you travel you are by yourself.
You have to be prepared because you do not have the same immediate access to supplies and support that you would in a hospital.
We do a lot of preparation before we travel. We read the charts and make sure we have the right supplies. Sometimes we travel an hour to visit a client.
If you travel all the way to someone’s house and realize you forgot some supplies, that would not be ideal.
So you have to be prepared.
What advice might you have for a young person who was considering going into health care?
I would say to explore all the avenues that exist in health care. When I was a nursing student, I would not have thought that I wanted to work with older population.
And then, the STEP program allowed me to explore different parts of health care.
It was a really cool experience to learn about all the different options available to me. That’s the beauty of health care. There are so many different areas you can explore.
Your job doesn't have to look the same for the rest of your life. You can switch career paths while staying in health care.