I interviewed my friend Melanie who is a nurse at the children’s hospital in Edmonton, Alberta. She was my full time babysitter and my aide at Kandu Summer camp over the years when I was younger. We have shared several memories together, and I got the opportunity to talk to her about her job and journey being a nurse!

Kelsey: Where did you go for your schooling?

Melanie: I went to Augustana Campus UofA in Camrose for my first degree, and UofA in Edmonton for my after-degree.

Kelsey: What did you take in university?

Melanie: My first degree is a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Sociology and a minor in Psychology. I then took a semester of pre-requisites before getting my Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Kelsey: Where do you currently work?

Melanie: I currently work as a Registered Nurse at the Stollery Children’s Hospital on inpatient floors – Surgery/Trauma and Medicine.

Kelsey: What do you do for your job?

Melanie: I provide any direct patient care that falls under the scope of an RN. I work mostly day shifts, so I do a lot of liasoning between the patient and their family, and the rest of their health care team. I’m often with families during some of the scariest times of their life, and I try my best to be a source of competence and comfort. A very important part of my job is having a repertoire of jokes and sick dance moves to distract kiddos during difficult procedures.

Kelsey: What are your hours?

Melanie: I work 12-hour shifts, and have the flexibility of a casual position where I pick my shifts based on our family’s needs. Before maternity leave, I worked a full-time rotation of two weeks of days/two weeks of nights.

Kelsey: What other jobs did you have?

Melanie: I’ve been at the Stollery for over 10 years since completing my final practicum there, and have no plans to leave pediatrics just yet! Before nursing, I’ve worked as a personal care aide, briefly as a live-in assistant at a L’Arche community, CAFCL day camp coordinator, youth leader, retail management, and let’s not forget, “It’s a great day at Booster Juice!”

Kelsey:Tell us a bit about your family and what you do in your spare time.

Melanie: Well, that nerdy boy Murray from high school still likes me, and we will have been married for 12 years this summer. Our twins, Jack and Zoey, will be turning 8-years-old in May. We like to get out and do fun things around the city, as well as hang out together at home. We recently got a puppy named Bob, and he occupies a lot of my spare time. I also volunteer, and enjoy reading, socializing, and baking the perfect loaf of banana bread.