It's no secret that Nurses and Caregivers are the heart of what we do here at Nurse Next Door. That's why we developed the 'Caregiving as a Career' initiative as part of our People Promise.
What is a People Promise?
It's our value proposition to our employees; a mission statement. Its purpose is to build a culture and team of empowered and inspired employees, while delivering on a commitment to the employee experience.It's because of this that we knew our People Promise had to include ways that we can empower our teams to grow — in and out of their roles. Whether you're someone like Dayna Frame, who went from Caregiver to Multi-Unit Franchise Owner, Brittany Pratico who made the jump from Licenced Practical Nurse to Care Designer, or Maricon Pretal, who our story is about. Maricon, originally from the Philippines, arrived in Canada in 2018 as an Internationally Educated Nurse to pursue her Post-Graduate Nursing Certificate. She began working for Nurse Next Door's Vancouver Franchise as a caregiver with aspirations of eventually becoming a Registered Nurse (RN) of Canada.After 3 years of studying, exams, (and a lot of paperwork!), we're thrilled to announce that Maricon's dreams are becoming a reality and she'll be leaving the Vancouver team for Ontario scrubs. Not only that, she has also obtained her US RN license while working on her Canadian Nursing Registration.
What inspired you to work in care?
"When I was young, my father was sick. He had a Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and was in and out of the hospital. As a child I saw him struggling with his illness. I remember telling him, 'don't worry, one day I'll become a nurse and I'll take care of you.' Since then the need to care for others has become automatic for me. Whenever I see people struggling or need help — I want to be that person. That's how I knew I should become a nurse."
What are you looking forward to the most when you become an RN?
(What are you looking forward to the most when you get back to RN profession? )"I know it might sound a bit strange but I miss the hustle and bustle of the hospital. I miss that sense of urgency. I miss the beeps in the OR! The energy in that space is what I'm looking forward to getting back to most. "
What was a standout moment with a client while working with Nurse Next Door?
"I was assigned to this lovely couple. My job was to tend to the husband's needs because he was struggling with his health. While he was sleeping I'd get restless, I didn't want to just sit there! With Nurse Next Door I always feel empowered to care for my clients outside of the Care Plan. So while he was sleeping, instead of just waiting, I would do some light housekeeping and laundry. One day I overhauled the pantry to remove all expired cans! When my time with them was ending they told me that I was the best thing that happened to them and that made me feel so good! My simple gesture had a big impact on them."
What has helped you most in your Caregiving as a Career journey?
Your People Experience Coordinator, Allison has been the most caring, professional, and understanding HR person that I have ever worked with in my entire nursing career. During the transition, there was a lot of paperwork and references — it was overwhelming! But Allison never made me feel like I was a bother or burden. I'd email her and she'd respond right away. I never had to follow up, she was with me every step of the way. She has a big heart and I'm just really glad that we have people like her working with us. I felt so supported.
