Rural life a great opportunity for nurses
March 4, 2021
For April Miskie, an obstetrics RN at Bonnyville Health Centre, life in the small northern community is full of opportunity and is an ideal place to raise her two kids. Originally from Ontario, April moved to Bonnyville in 2012 with her now-husband, just a few months after she became an RN. While the couple initially planned to stay in Bonnyville for five years before returning to Ontario, April says she’s glad they chose to stay longer.
“I'm happy I live and work in a small rural community. It’s very family- friendly, with many great parks, a big new recreation centre with rinks, schools, a big daycare centre, extracurricular activities and a nice little library! Bonnyville is a small town of about 7,000, but it has honestly got everything you need. They also do weekly farmers’ markets, and Bonnyville has so many surrounding lakes with beaches and camp grounds.
“It is a very personal little town, where you really get to know faces and people throughout the community. I love going to the bank and having the teller invite me up by name or going into the drug store and being greeted by name.”
As an obstetrics (OB) nurse at Bonnyville Health Centre, April says she experiences a wide range of nursing opportunities to grow her skills.
“I love that I get to do OB from start to finish, which could mean induction, labour, delivery and post-partum. I also love that in the same shift I could have a delivery, a post-partum, a post-op and a palliative or a mental health patient. My passions are labour and delivery, breastfeeding and post-partum care and teaching, but I also love being able to switch it up and practice all my other nursing skills.
“At Bonnyville Health Centre, I find we all work very well together and are all very close, which makes it a great ‘work family’ atmosphere. There is a lot of teamwork on our unit, and everyone just jumps right in when needed, such as for a stat C section, and you are never ever alone.
“I honestly can’t express enough to new nurses how great it is to start your career in a rural facility. With the time management skills, the different nursing specialties all in one and the experiences, you never get bored, and there is always something new to learn.”
We’re looking for additional nursing staff at Bonnyville Health Centre. At Covenant Health, you’ll find a supportive and fulfilling workplace where you can flourish and find your calling to serve with compassion and integrity.
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