Stories and Updates
Dr. Manon Pelletier’s Story – International Women’s Day
Walking the halls and inpatient units of Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg alongside Dr. Manon Pelletier, the site’s medical lead, it’s impossible not to feel both her sense of purpose and the level of camaraderie and connection she has with staff from all kinds of backgrounds.
“Hi, how are you,” she says to colleagues, greeting them warmly and by their first name(s) as we pass through the hospital’s Clinical Assessment Unit (CAU), Emergency Department, and Neurology unit before stopping to chat with “Greg from the mailroom” who is eating a snack in the common area outside Guildy’s.
Sébastien Tessier
Manitoba is an active and growing place for RT’s. Moving from the nation’s capital in 2013 to start a career in Winnipeg was not a small decision. With many dense areas of the country offering limited opportunities for new graduates, Manitoba’s growth offers many. Winnipeg is a hub for a large geographic region of the country which is served by two large tertiary facilities and a children’s hospital, with one of the hospitals representing the strong French community in central Canada.
Supporting mental health in mother tongue. Cancer patients cared for by allied health professionals
Being a source of light and comfort during the darkest moments of someone’s life drives Renée Saurette and her colleagues at CancerCare Manitoba each and every day.
Saurette is a Psychosocial Oncology Clinician for Patient and Family Support Services and spends her days working with people diagnosed with cancer and their families before, during and after a cancer diagnosis.
Southern Health-Santé Sud nurse practitioner provides care and confidence to Francophone patients
Safe delivery of health services relies upon clear communication – and understanding – between provider and patient.
In Manitoba, where nine per cent (109,935) of the population speaks French as their primary language, designated bilingual staff are playing a key role in supporting patient safety and improved outcomes. In Southern Health-Santé Sud, Nathalie Robitaille, a bilingual nurse practitioner, offers the Francophone population within her care, the opportunity to access in-person services in their primary spoken language.
Serving Manitoba’s Francophone communities: making a difference in access to health services
Philibert Ruberandinda came to Canada from Rwanda in 2000. New to the country and eager to find meaningful work, Philibert was encouraged by his brother-in-law (an international trained physician who had come to Canada just before him) to consider training as a nurse due to the many employment opportunities available in this field.
Philibert opted to train as a health care aide first, quickly enrolling in – and completing – his training. He was hired immediately into part-time positions at several health-care facilities in Winnipeg. It was those experiences – the work and the people – that confirmed that a career in health care was the right choice for him.
French language skills in primary care nursing put patients at ease
A change in work environments is what one Winnipeg nurse said she needed to reprioritize her well-being and reinvigorate her passion for health care.
Nicole Prenovault is a registered nurse who worked on the frontlines in one of the city’s busiest hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Late last year, she switched care settings while completing her master’s degree and now supports physicians in a primary care setting at a Winnipeg clinic.
