Saskatchewan Career Spotlight is a new electronic publication coming to you directly from Health Careers in Saskatchewan. We have hundreds of people in many communities delivering high quality, team-based health care to the people of this province on a daily basis. Below are profiles of many of those individuals who were more than happy to share their stories. We've also thrown in another story profiling some of the attractions of the area in which these health care providers live.
If you have a story to share, send us an email news@saskdocs.ca. We would love to profile you and your community.
January 2019
Inside This Issue:
An interest in rural health care is what it's all about for this CLXT
A Combined Laboratory and X-Ray Technologist, more commonly referred to as a CLXT, takes x-rays, draws blood, gathers samples and performs numerous other important tasks that keep health care delivery moving in Saskatchewan. It is a demanding job, but because it involves people, it is also a satisfying one for Heidi White.
White is a CLXT who lives in Swift Current. Every day, she takes a short drive to Cabri to help a primary care team deliver health services to the people of that community and surrounding area. Graduating from the Saskatchewan Polytechnic CLXT program in 2007, White hasn’t always worked in Cabri. She started her career in Swift Current, but quickly took advantage of a unique opportunity in Cabri when there was an opening. The job has turned out well, as she now has a broader scope of practise and more hands-on learning.
“I’ll be completely honest, when I started exploring career options out of high school I had no idea what a CLXT was or what they did,” said White. “After researching more about the career, I thought it was something I could totally be interested in: dealing with people every day, taking blood samples, x-rays and ECG’s (Electrocardiograms), so I pursued it. After graduating, I worked in cardiac care in Swift Current, then a friend told me about this opportunity, so I applied and here I am.”
Cabri is one of the province’s newest Primary Health Care Centres. In addition to White, it has a staff that deliver care via a number of different health professionals. Cabri has a nurse practitioner, itinerant physicians, dieticians, therapists, mental health workers and others who travel from nearby communities on a scheduled basis. This means even though White works alone in her lab most of the time, she remains in contact with other health care providers helping deliver quality care to people from the area.
When she’s not working, White is busy with her family, raising two young daughters. Although she commutes every day, she shares a ride with a co-worker and they find that time to and from work as an opportunity to relax.
One thing White and her family love to do on their own time is attend Swift Current Bronco games. The Broncos are a highly successful and long-established Western Hockey League (WHL) team. The community is also a great supporter of the franchise so going to games during the winter means excitement, fun and meeting others in the community.
“Go Broncos! We love going to Bronco games. The caliber of the team and the league means each game is pretty exciting, and the price of admission is something I appreciate. It means, as a family, we can afford to go to these games. It gets us out of the house and talking with other people in the community.”
White adds that Swift Current has many other family activities that her and her family take advantage of:
“The schools here are fantastic, there is lots to do around the city in every season, there are outdoor activities for you or your spouse (my husband is a hunter) and Swift Current has the Lyric Theatre where plays and musicals are held all the time and the local drama club even puts on a play once in a while. It’s great.”
As far as professional challenges, White says the isolation might not be for everyone. Often, she is the only person in the lab. That means when she may need help getting a sample or fixing the x-ray machine, she has to problem solve on her own.
“That can feel isolating for sure. Sometimes it is just you in the lab so if something doesn’t work, you have to deal with it. You find a way to figure it out, but there are always other people around to help you de-stress, whether its co-workers or people in Cabri. We all work together to make it better.”
To hear more of White’s story please visit the saskdocs-Health Careers in Saskatchewan Vimeo Channel.It is a great way to learn more about being a CLXT and about how people like White are helping deliver quality health care to people in rural Saskatchewan.
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Practicing Family Medicine in Rural Saskatchewan Has Many Benefits
“The diversity of practise here is really beneficial and that is a big plus when you’re a family doctor,” said Dr. Tara Lee, who practises at the Associate Family Physicians Clinic in Swift Current.
Dr. Lee and many of her colleagues deal with everything from emergency trauma to delivering babies in this southwest community. The diversity of practice is something they love about rural medicine.
“You’ll learn so much in a community like this. The diversity allows you to maintain your skills in so many ways. It allows you to explore different clinical areas you may be interested in and expands your understanding of those situations, which I think makes you a better physician,” said Dr. Lee.
Dr. Lee is originally from Swift Current. After moving away after high school to complete undergraduate work at the University of Calgary, she came home to Saskatchewan.
“Coming out of high school, I wasn’t always sure I wanted to be a doctor. It wasn’t until I completed my undergrad that I seriously started thinking about pursuing medicine as a career” said Dr. Lee. “I eventually knew that family medicine was where I wanted to be and I really can’t think of a better place to do that than in my hometown.”
In addition to the professional benefits of this community Dr. Lee and her family like the fact that Swift Current is safe and affordable and has everything she’s looking for.
“My husband and I go to great lengths to keep our kids (aged 7 and 11) physically active,” said Dr. Lee. “Swift Current has a ton of activities to keep our kids going. There’s hockey, soccer, a swim club, hiking and biking trails, golfing and a lot of events here. We try to do as many of those activities as we can in a community that really supports that lifestyle.”
Another benefit of living and working as a family physician in Swift Current is that the city is one of a few University of Saskatchewan’s (U of S) Distributed Medical Education (DME) sites.
“The DME program is quite unique for the province. The model allows medical students to complete family medicine residency training in communities outside Regina or Saskatoon.”
One of the many benefits of giving medical residents an opportunity to complete their residency training in a regional centre is the broad scope of learning, something Dr. Lee alluded to earlier. Physicians benefit from the program as well as it gives them a chance to transfer knowledge and clinical skills to residents in a personal setting; one where the doctor-student ratio is almost one-to-one.
Dr. Lee likes that. It gives her an opportunity get to know the medical students better and hopefully convince them to stay and practise in a place like Swift Current.
“One thing I always say to students is take advantage of programs that allow you to experience something different throughout your medical education. That may be rural medicine, a specialty or something you might have an interest in that isn’t typically offered through regular classes. This will help you decide what type of doctor you want to be and what type of medicine you want to practise. Being a doctor is challenging, so pursuing something you have a passion for is critical to becoming a good doctor.”
Hear more about Dr. Lee and the benefits of of practising family medicine in Swift Current by watching her video on the saskdocs-Health Careers in Saskatchewan video channel.
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Discover Saskatchewan's Great Southwest
From big cities (by Saskatchewan standards) to small, quiet towns, southwest Saskatchewan has it all.
Whether you’re a health care professional practising in one of the area’s larger centres, or a doctor practising in a smaller, rural community, you’re in the middle of a beautiful part of Saskatchewan.
This region of the province stretches from the Alberta border east to Bengough and from the U.S border to the
South Saskatchewan River at Saskatchewan Landing Provincial Park. Southwest Saskatchewan is considered cowboy country. If you live and work here, don’t be surprised if you come across a cowboy on horseback herding cattle; farmers sowing thousands of acres in fields that surround those grazing land; breathtaking river valleys, wide open sunsets, badlands and of course, the Cypress Hills – the highest point between the Rocky Mountains to the west and Labrador to the east.
Each community - big or small - has charm, character and all of the amenities a health care professional would need to find work-life balance.
Learn more at Saskatchewan's Great Southwest website. Or, spend a few minutes to watch this breathtaking video about this spectacular corner of the province.
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November 2018 - Kipling the Site of the Second Rural Skills Tour
What does a giant red paper clip (approximate weight 3000 lbs.), a three year old hospital and health students from southern Saskatchewan all have in common? The answer is simple, it’s Kipling.
This rural community, located approximately 200 kilometres southeast of Regina, was home to all three on October 20, 2018 thanks to the second Rural Skills Tour, co-hosted by Health Careers in Saskatchewan, saskdocs and the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
A total of 16 students studying to be doctors, nurses and paramedics participated in the tour, which involved: a morning filled with hands-on skills training; a tour of the Kipling Integrated Health Facility; a guided tour of the town; a visit to a local, haunted church; and, an amazing race that allowed the students to experience a little more of Kipling and a little more learning.
“Some of the feedback we received on the first Rural Skills Tour, which was held in th
e Battlefords last March, indicated that students really liked the hands on training,” said Heather Friday, Director of Health Careers in Saskatchewan and saskdocs. “SHA staff were great. They held a simulated emergency response the first thing when we arrived that morning so students got a firsthand look at what an actual emergency situation would look like in Kipling.”
After the simulated event the students were split into different groups to try a variety of hands-on experiences like how to suture a wound, do a tracheal intubation and how to cast a broken limb. Because the students were split into groups each one of them got to experience each simulation so none of them missed out on a learning opportunity.
Luda Zvizdun is a Registered Psychiatric Nurse (RPN) student studying in Regina, a high demand profession. She visited Kipling before the Rural Skills Tour, but that was before she started training. Now she wants to see what the community has to offer in terms of work-life balance as a nurse so she can consider a community like this once she completes her training.
“I’m a newcomer to Canada so I decided to totally change my career because I prefer to work with people other than just numbers and Psychiatric nursing is something I think that is very, very important. I came here to find out how is it different to be where there are not so many medical specialists around and there is so much on your own shoulders,” said Zvizdun.
Twenty-seven per cent of the tour participants indicated they were “very interested” in working in rural health care before they started experiencing Kipling. When the day was done the level of interest climbed to 47 per cent. Participants gave feedback that described the day as “amazing, cool, I loved how the community was so involved, surprised and fun.”
“Kipling was a great place to hold this tour,” said Bonnie Haus, who shared a personal experience of how she really wanted to be a Registered Nurse (RN) in rural, but was intimidated about applying for certain positions.
Now working as a RN in southeast Saskatchewan Haus has experience in rural medicine. What Haus liked best about the tour was how welcoming and appreciative the people of Kipling were to the students and how great of a place it would be to start a career in medicine.
“Kipling has a three year old, integrated health care facility which offers diverse job opportunities in one location. In my opinion it seems like an excellent health centre and welcoming community. My main take-away from the tour was the difference between urban and rural health care, in rural you are a ‘jack-of-all-trades’ health-care professional, you are able to utilize your full skill-set you have from your education and much more, this was illustrated by the advanced practice skills stations at the facility. Kipling is definitely rural being over an hour away from Regina or Estevan, but it has everything you need, even a Tim Horton’s!”
In addition to learning hands-on skills students toured a local historic site – the Bekevar Presbyterian Church – and were given a personal tour of the entire community. After the tour the students participated in an “Amazing Race” game that had them walk throughout the town to find clues, learn some more nuggets about rural medicine and be treated to Kipling hospitality at Nevada’s Bar and Grill.
Everyone went home with a bottle of pure Kipling water, a red-paper clip t-shirt, chocolate, a new medical skill and a taste for health care in rural Saskatchewan.
View a video of the day’s events and stay tuned for further details about the next tour ready to hit rural Saskatchewan in 2019.
April 2018
Inside This Issue
This Registered Psychiatric Nurse Loves Living and Working in The Battlefords
(Hear Pidwerbeski’s story in her own words by watching her video)
Kristan Pidwerbeski is a registered psychiatric nurse who is raising a family in The Battlefords and following her passion – psychiatric care. Kristan shares her personal experiences of both living and working in this area of the province and the things that really help her stay grounded to this northwest community.
Pidwerbeski works on one of the Saskatchewan Hospital’s long-term open psychiatric units, which means many of the people she works with stay in the unit’s care for an extended period of time. Most of her clients attend work programs and activities throughout the day that help with their treatment process. They also have off-unit privileges, which means that they can explore the hospital grounds freely and fill their time with whatever they so choose.
This constant contact with patients is really what drew Pidwerbeski to her current position.
“Working in The Battlefords you're going to definitely find a closer client contact. You work on the same unit often. You work with the same clients sometimes 60 hours a week. You get to know them very well. You get to know their families. You get to know what aspects of their treatment program that they're looking for from you. You have that opportunity to sit down with them and get to know them personally when you work with them that often. I think we're fortunate to be able to do that here,” said Pidwerbeski.
Pidwerbeski is raising her family in The Battlefords. She can’t really think of anywhere else she would want to do this. The communities combined have so much to offer for both parents and children.
“There's a ton of things to do within the city. There are parks, there's sport facilities, we have museums, golf courses, we have two lakes within a 20-minute driving distance outside of the city. You can do activities year-round at those lakes, you can camp and fish, go swimming in the summertime and in the winter, you can snowmobile, skate, ice fish. There are a lot of activities to do,” said Pidwerbeski.
Pidwerbeski likes the fact that she not only has a great career path in The Battlefords, but she also works with a great team of health professionals who are all committed to providing better patient care.
“What I like best working at Saskatchewan Hospital are three things: The first is the hospital in itself. There's a lot of culture and history that dates back over 100 years. The second thing I like best about working here are the staff. We have a lot of people over the past 10 years that I've worked with that are hard working. They're very caring and compassionate, and we have a lot of laughs during our shifts, and at the end of the day we can go home knowing that we've done the best that we can for our clients. The third most favorite thing of mine are the clients. Over 10 years, I've got to know a lot of people and the clients are amazing. We learn a lot from them and they learn a lot from us,” said Pidwerbeski.
“I enjoy talking about stories and reminiscing about the clients that we've had in the past. We talk about, ‘Oh, do you remember that person when they did this or when they did that and you see them on the street and they're healthy and they're happy and you know that you've helped them; you've helped them make a difference in their life. That is probably the best part, the biggest reward, and why I became an RPN in the first place.”
Visit Health Careers in Saskatchewan’s website to learn more about the many great clinicians like Pidwerbeski who choose to live and work in rural Saskatchewan.
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The Saskatchewan Hospital - An Icon Steeped in a History of Care
(Hear Shynkaruk’s story in her own words by watching her video)
Linda Shynkaruk is a registered psychiatric nurse by profession, but is currently the Director of Saskatchewan Hospital in North Battleford. Shynkaruk has been working in the mental health field for quite some time and shares some of her experiences of what she loves best about her job, the people she works with, and where she lives.
Saskatchewan Hospital has been treating mental health patients from across the province for more than a century. After working there as both a registered psychiatric nurse and now a Director, Shynkaruk says she is passionate about what she does because of who she gets to work with every day.
“The patients who are here at Saskatchewan Hospital, they have the most difficult of mental illnesses, they are the most treatment resistive in the province. They have burned many bridges along the way and we are their advocates. I feel very proud when we can give our patients a voice. I think that the new hospital is an example of our advocacy on their behalf. Our current facility is the only psychiatric rehabilitation facility in the province of Saskatchewan. We provide psychiatric services and forensic services. We currently have 156 beds. We are a referral hospital only, whether it be from former regions in Saskatchewan or through the justice system.”
Individuals come to Saskatchewan Hospital from all over the province. When they arrive they are assessed by a clinical team and put into the appropriate therapy programs and treatment regimes. At some point, staff conduct active discharge planning with the patients and their families.
Shynkaruk’s work is her passion, and living just five minutes away in The Battlefords excites her since she gets to be so close to what she loves best. Shynkaruk works with great people and there’s always something to do in the community.
“The Battlefords has really everything you need though. I mean in terms of family, it has every sporting opportunity that you would like. It has great high schools, it has lots of elementary schools and they provide a number of opportunities for kids. There's ski-dooing, ice fishing, in the winter time and of course, in the summer there's the usual boating and watersking. The lighthouse, you could climb the lighthouse if you want; that's good exercise, my kids have counted the stairs there several times; I think there's 140 stairs, I get too tired to count them so when I go up, I lose track. Biking, there's lots of trails around The Battlefords that you can walk and bike. Yes, there's lots to do around here, lots to do.”
Something unique and exciting for mental health professionals in The Battlefords is the new Saskatchewan Hospital. This new facility is going to offer services that are not only unique in Saskatchewan, but across Canada. The facility is aiming to also be an educational facility by working closely with the universities and other post-secondary schools to find ways to deliver better patient care.
“We’re also hoping to get into research opportunities and just be a leader in the provision of mental health services, not only, like I said just in Saskatchewan, but throughout Canada. We'll be looking for all professions and expanding our clinical team. We currently have psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, therapists, housekeepers, dieticians, occupational therapists. We're hoping to recruit all of those types of professions we need and we will be hiring, I mean we're expanding our number of beds. We'll be looking as we go into the future, for more and more expertise to be provided to our patients.
Visit Health Careers in Saskatchewan’s website to learn more about the many great clinicians like Pidwerbeski who choose to live and work in rural Saskatchewan.
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The Battlefords Has Everything This Health Care Professional is Looking For
(Hear Kramm’s story in his own words by watching his video)
Mike Kramm is a mental health therapist at Saskatchewan Hospital in The Battlefords. Kramm manages the Industrial Therapy Program, which means he gets to work closely with patients in a workshop setting. This type of therapy helps patients make their way through daily challenges and learn some valuable life skills. Kramm likes what he does, and is looking forward to the opening of the new Saskatchewan Hospital. Kramm also loves where he lives because it helps him find balance.
The Industrial Therapy Program is a woodworking program that focuses on patient vocational skills. These skills can be something as simple as being appropriately dressed and groomed for work, or knowing how to follow a set of tasks from start to finish. Through woodworking, Kramm helps patients with furniture projects that are made and sold to interested buyers.
Kramm says many of the skills learned in the shop can transfer to other job skills in the community: whether it's something as simple as stocking shelves at a store, custodial duties, volunteer opportunities, or other tasks aimed at trying to re-engage patients.
“A patient becomes admitted to the hospital and through a series of quizzes and tasks we find what skills they actually need to work towards. Some people who come into my program may have not skills at all; some may have some minor work skills, woodworking skills from high school, let’s say industrial arts programs and we just really try to start simple and start at the beginning, whatever they're comfortable with, where ever their interest lies,” said Kramm.
There are also different levels of vocational programs. Some higher functioning ones are for patients who have been at the hospital for many years, whose moods have stabilized and are on their way to recovery and rehabilitation. All of the vocational programs Kramm manages are held inside the existing Mental Hospital (a 100-year-old building) so a newer, bigger space will help make the program that much better.
“Moving to the new facility is going to be fantastic for our clients, I work in a wood shop and it used to be dorms. It's a two storey wood shop with a 36-inch door and we build furniture, it does make it difficult. We are definitely looking forward to the move to the new facility. Of course, a 100-year-old building there's 100-year-old problems that come along with that and no amount of maintenance can keep up with everything that occurs. The new hospital is a fantastic facility. For one it's very big, there's 188 beds on the psychiatric rehabilitation side and there's also a correction unit which focuses on people who have gone through the justice system and suffer with mental health issues. As far as I'm aware this is the first facility that really caters towards that type of support in terms of corrections and with the programming opportunities that are available for them. It's going to be a flagship facility in my opinion.”
In addition to enjoying his work, Kramm likes living in the Battlefords. He enjoys the outdoors, and finds countless opportunities to do things outside just a few minutes away from where he lives or works.
“I'm an outdoors guy. The river valley is right out my back door from where I live, it's right out the back door from where I work, a five-minute walk and I am right in on the trails for cross-country skiing, for hiking, biking where we run into all types of wildlife. I think in terms of recreational activities there's always something to do, there is always something going on through community block parties, community togetherness and just working together to make North Battleford a better place to be,” said Kramm.
Visit Health Careers in Saskatchewan’s website to learn more about the many great clinicians like Pidwerbeski who choose to live and work in rural Saskatchewan.
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Experience Life in The Battlefords
Health care professionals who live and work in The Battlefords (Town of Battleford and City of North Battleford) can’t tell you enough about how passionate they are about what they do. They will also tell you that the benefits of living there are many.
A commute time of less than 20 minutes to anywhere (even if you’re travelling from “The Lake”) is pretty appealing, as is the river valley at your doorstep (whatever the season). There are many outdoor opportunities, and even on bad-weather days there’s a lot to do indoors. The communities have numerous recreational facilities, cultural amenities, museums, galleries and activities for families all year round.
Below is a short list of attractions and sites you can experience when you live and work in Saskatchewan’s northwest.
Attractions
Credit Union Complex - Just completed in 2012-13, the CUPlex contains four buildings: The Dekker Centre for the Performing Arts, the Northland Power Curling Centre, the Battlefords Co-op Aquatic Centre and the NationsWEST Field House. Together the complex provides first-class entertainment options, sporting activities and indoor recreation options for all to enjoy.
Chapel Gallery - The Chapel Gallery is available to the public and features collections of contemporary, regional and First Nations art. The gallery is open year round.
Allen Sapp Gallery - A cultural flagship in the community, the Allen Sapp Gallery was established in 1989 by Dr. Allan and Roth Gonor who donated their Allen Sapp paintings to help create the Gallery. Allen Sapp, a local Cree artist, was an Order of Canada recipient, and obtained an honorary doctorate from the University of Regina and a National Aboriginal Lifetime Achievement Award. His paintings have become world-famous and many from the Gonor collection remain in the gallery today.
Museums
- The Battlefords is home to one of the province’s four Western Development Museums (WDM). The WDM holds thousands of displays and artifacts of life from Saskatchewan’s pioneer era.
- The community is home to the Fred Light Museum, which holds historical artifacts and collections from historic Battleford.
- The Battlefords also has the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame Museum, a place that honours and pays tribute to people and players who helped shape this province’s rich baseball history.
Fort Battleford - A National Historic Site where you and your family can experience what life was like before Saskatchewan became a province.
Outdoor Activities
Battlefords Provincial Park - Located 20 minutes north of The Battlefords, this provincial park boasts a huge, sandy beach; challenging golf course; camping; hiking; and lots of room for boating activities during the summer months.
Table Mountain Regional Park - With more than 70, 000 visits each season, Table Mountain has plenty of snow-covered downhill runs to challenge skiers and snowboarders of all ages and skill levels. This local attraction is located less than half-an-hour from Battleford.
Winter Fun - The Battlefords offers snowmobile enthusiasts more than 450 kilometers of groomed trails. The 
communities also have outdoor and indoor skating rinks that operate day and night, free cross-country ski trails, and curling opportunities for the professional and the beginner.
These are just a few of the many amenities that await you and your family in The Battlefords. For further information on each community and on what to experience when you move there for that new career opportunity, please visit:
Battlefords.ca – Destination Battlefords
Battleford.ca – Town of Battleford
Cityofnb.ca – City of North Battleford
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