We interviewed three alumni and asked them about their decision to get into nursing, the rewards and challenges, and advice for future nurses.

Taryn Noizadan (née Smith) '06

What inspired you to become a nurse?
My grandma was a nurse and often told me stories about it when I was little. That opened up my curiosity about it. I used to also babysit my Kinderbuddy, Shauna [Graveson ‘19]. Her mom was a nurse, so I often heard and asked questions about her work. I had other family members who were in nursing as well, so nursing was something that was all around me. When I graduated, it was something I knew I wanted to do.

Tell me about your own unique path to becoming a nurse.
When I graduated in 2006, nursing programs were quite competitive and had long waiting lists. I enrolled at Douglas College in General Studies, did as many prerequisites as I could, and ended up earning my Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) certification. After graduation, I got a position working at the place I did my clinical at. Though I never wanted to get into long-term care, my time during my clinical changed my entire perspective on nursing. So, even though I said I never would work in long-term care, I stayed at that facility for four years! I moved to another long-term care facility after that and have been there ever since. Now, I’m the clinical lead. Working in a hospital, you never know who you are going to look after. In long-term care, you can develop real relationships with your patients and their families.

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Leah Gamache '95

What inspired you to become a nurse?
My best friend had become a nurse a year ahead of me. I have always been interested in science and knew I wanted to get into something medical-related where I’d be working with people. My first plan of becoming a veterinarian didn’t pan out, so when my friend became a nurse I thought, I could do that. The idea of helping people really inspired me.

Tell me about your own unique path to becoming a nurse.
When I first graduated, I went to Douglas College and took general sciences and completed my first couple of years of undergraduate work. During that time, I had been working in a veterinary hospital and started working at another one following a move to the island. There, I worked at a biotech company where I worked with laboratory animals. It was right around then that my friend got into nursing. After realizing it was something I wanted to pursue, I enrolled at Camosun College and completed my nursing diploma. After that, I began working in the Cardiology Unit at the Royal Jubilee Hospital. When I moved back to Vancouver, I worked at St. Paul’s in the Cardiology Unit as well. During that time, they also funded my training to go into critical care. For seven years, I worked in angiograms and angioplasties.

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Constence Hsu '04

What inspired you to become a nurse?
I was in my third year of a Science degree at the University of Toronto, going into my fourth, and still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in life. I had considered becoming a nurse in middle or high school—this is going to sound cliché, but I read a story about Florence Nightengale that inspired me—so I decided to speak with a family friend who is a nurse. She told me about the career, I did a bit of research, and I decided to give nursing a try. I figured if it doesn’t work out, it doesn’t work out – luckily it did! 

Tell me about your own unique path to becoming a nurse.
I applied to nursing school at the University of Toronto and got in, lucky because I met most of the prerequisites. Since I was coming from the science program, I was able to earn my nursing degree in two years. With no experience, it was hard to find a job after I graduated. I looked everywhere and even considered coming back to BC. Luckily, Ontario has a new grad initiative for nurses and I was able to get a position in the Women’s Unit at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital. I rotated through antepartum, labour and delivery and postpartum. This was great because this was the specialty I wanted to be in. I also loved it, so it was a great confirmation for me. After this placement, I was offered a full-time position in the neonatal intensive care unit. I was born prematurely, so I felt like I was coming full circle. 

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