Administrative Professionals' Day featuring Sara Fleck

Working as an administrative assistant is similar to doing a puzzle according to Sara Fleck, who 
loves doing both.  

“I love doing puzzles, I have a closet full of them,” she says with a laugh. “Putting things together and making them fit is definitely an important part of what I do every day.”

Sara has been working as an administrative assistant at Nova Scotia health since 2013, first with Continuing Care, and currently the Mental Health and Addictions Program.  

“You have to be organized and able to shift priorities when supporting senior leadership,” explains Sara, adding the most important part of the job is to make things easier for people.

“A good portion of my day is spent taking requests for meetings and juggling the calendar to fit things in. That’s the point of the job, I think, to make her director’s life easier, keeping her organized and focused on the higher-level stuff that she needs to do.”

Carrying this work in the mental health and addictions environment adds tremendous job satisfaction.  

“I love the work that we do for our vulnerable populations. I think everyone has someone in their life that has had struggled with mental health or addiction issues, and I’m no different in that aspect. So, I enjoy knowing that I’m kind of giving back, and the work that admins do behind the scenes is ultimately affecting and helping client care,” she says.

“The Mental Health and Addictions Program is so cohesive and they give admins autonomy and independence to take on different things and build that trust.  It’s really fulfilling to have that independence and trust that things are going to get done.”

Administration is a fulfilling career, says Sara and she’d encourage people to explore the option. “I think many people don’t understand the skills and the hard we do. It’s rewarding, there’s room for growth, and I think it’s a great career to get into.”

Photo of Sara Fleck.