Originally hailing from Newfoundland, Fern Hatcher has spent the past eight years working as an LPN providing health services for inmates at the Central Nova Correctional Facility. When she’s not on shift, she’s also a third-year nursing student at Saint Francis Xavier University, and just over a year away from earning her BScN.
“As a nurse, I love being an advocate,” said Hatcher. “Working with a vulnerable population has allowed me to see this firsthand. Everyone at some point in life needs a helping hand, a listening ear, a supportive person and someone who will not judge them.”
As of February 2022, a small group of registered nurses (RNs) at Nova Scotia Health and the IWK Health Centre are officially able to write prescriptions and order routine tests.
One of the proud members of Nova Scotia’s first RN prescribing cohort is Jennifer Radcliffe, who has been a nurse since 2006. After working all over the province, in the Northwest Territories and the Yukon, she is now part of the team at the Truro Access and Sexual Health Clinic.
“Stay the blazes home.” Most Nova Scotians clearly remember this instruction during the first wave of the pandemic. In April 2020, memes, t-shirts, songs and mugs appeared with the catchy refrain. And while this statement struck a chord with many Nova Scotians, others couldn’t follow this advice – people without housing or who were insecurely housed, living in crowded housing, or fleeing domestic violence. For individuals in those types of circumstances, Public Health’s Housing and Isolation Program, known as the HIP team, has been there to help.
Sally Carvery has been working as a registered nurse for Nova Scotia Health since 2007. Throughout her career, she has always worked in the mental health field – first working inpatient psychiatry at the Nova Scotia Hospital, and then in Psychiatric Emergency Services at the Halifax Infirmary. Now a recent graduate from the Master of Nursing program at Memorial University, she is currently a community nurse at an outpatient mental health clinic.
Dr. Lesya Shuba, an Ophthalmologist at the QEII Health Sciences Centre, has been working tirelessly to help her home country of Ukraine as it continues to be attacked and by Russia.
A hematology nurse at the Victoria General Hospital for 18 years, Victoria Guy’s work primarily focuses on blood cancers and bone marrow transplants.
“I’ve done a few jobs in my nursing role, including precepting new students and staff, I was also a charge nurse and a nurse manager – but my favorite is bedside nursing,” said Guy.
Based out of the QEII Health Sciences Centre, Dr. Bailey has been a practicing anesthesiologist and researcher since 2019. His area of research is in regional anesthesia (nerve blocks), acute pain management, and global health education. He is a member of the thoracic and liver transplant teams, regional anesthesia and acute pain teams, and is actively involved in global health initiatives. He is the Rwanda lead for the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society International Education Foundation and was just appointed Medical Director of Serving and Engaging Communities in the Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management and Perioperative Medicine.
This is National Nursing Week, which celebrates the many contributions of nurses across our country. Nurses represent the highest proportion of health care workers globally, and we are pleased to recognize the incredible difference they make to our health and well-being.
