Squamish nurse Marie-Helene Themens visibly blushes when told she is described by her colleagues at Squamish General Hospital as “kind and hardworking.”
She is also someone who truly believes in patient-centered care, a Vancouver Coastal Health spokesperson told The Chief.
Her colleagues say she is a huge asset to their Squamish Hospital team.
The 29-year-old prefers to stay in the nurturing role behind the scenes, not in the spotlight. Other friendly nurses have been at the hospital longer, she protested, when praised.
Others deserve recognition more, she said, her soft-spoken voice thick with a Québécois accent that reveals her Montreal upbringing.
Despite her misgivings at being singled out, The Chief caught up with Themens outside Squamish Hospital before she started her night shift recently for a chat about what it is like to be a nurse, what she loves about the job and what she does in her downtime.
What follows is an edited version of that conversation.
Q: Why did you want to be a nurse?
A: I wanted to be a nurse to work with people and I wanted a career I could, perhaps, travel with. I like helping people.
When I was in university I tried a few other things out, but with nursing I was like, “This is what I want to do.” There are also a few nurses in my family – aunts and cousins.
Q: You are originally from Montreal and have been in Squamish for about two years. What brought you here?
A: I wanted a change. From Montreal, I got a job at B.C. Women’s Hospital and Health Centre in Vancouver. Then I picked something away from the city, in Squamish.
I didn’t know anything about Squamish when I moved here. I try to enjoy the outdoor activities we have: I bike, hike and I snowboard a lot during the winter.
Q: Does it scare you to participate in adventure sports, since you see all the injuries that result from them?
A: Yeah, it does scare me a little bit. I have never been hurt, but it is always in the back of my mind – that person I saw go into emergency injured.
Q: What are the differences between working in a big city hospital, like B.C. Women’s, and a community hospital like Squamish?
A: I get to do way more here. I did mostly labour and delivery before while here I get to do a lot more. There’s more variety to the job.
Q: What are nurses’ shifts like?
A: The shifts are 12 hours: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. We do two day-shifts and two night-shifts and then have four days off. When we start our shift we look at our assignments to see what is going on. In Squamish, it is really unpredictable because everything depends on labour and delivery, at least where I am.
If there is someone in labour everything changes. It is so different every day.
Q: How have you adjusted to working nights?
A: I used to work only nights in Montreal, so I got used to it then. It is easier if you are just on nights, not back and forth between day and night.
I don’t think I ever really fully adjust to the switch. You have to cut your sleep and manage to catch up at some point.
Q: Nurses see people during their best and worst moments. What have you learned about people through that?
A: That people are really strong. Sometimes they are here for not so nice reasons and it is really hard, but you are there to help them and be there for them. Your job is to underline their forces – what I mean is that they are strong, and they have good qualities, and you just have to reinforce that for them.
Q: Are there any amazing moments in your career so far that stand out?
A: So many! I think it was the first year I was here, I went with my dad to this show in Brackendale and we were talking with a couple and they shared how they were trying to have a baby.
Months later I had them as patients in postpartum, and they said, “Hey, we know you.”
I just thought that was really amazing, but there are so many touching stories with all the deliveries.
The patients, you see them around town. Some people I have helped deliver their baby and I will see them around and I get to see what the baby looks like. Sometimes you wonder how a baby is doing or a mom is doing, so it is great to see them.
Q: Working in labour and delivery, does it make you want or not want to have children of your own?
A: People always ask me that, but honestly I think it is all worth it – I mean people keep coming back, so it must be.
Q: What is interesting to you about labour and delivery?
A: I like to support women in labour because I feel like I am doing something for them: coaching them through a really hard day in their lives.
Sometimes it has a good ending and sometimes it has a bad ending, but they are so thankful that you were there.
And in this hospital it is so great to see the circle of life.
Q: What do you hope to do with your career in the future?
A: I have always been curious about working up north. It is more remote and you have a lot of freedom to do a lot of different things. I would like to learn more and working up there, you get to learn a lot.
Q: Why do you think they picked you when I asked for a friendly and kind nurse?
A: I don’t know. Maybe my teamwork, and I like to help my colleagues.
I really like my job. I am so lucky I found what I really like to do.
