At Watson Lake Community Hospital, nurses do more than provide medical care—they build connections that make a difference. As a Clinical Nurse Leader, Kristi plays an important role in supporting both patients and her fellow nurses.
“In a small community, nurses often know their patients outside of the hospital setting. This aids in more holistic care as you often have a better understanding of their determinants of health. It can also be more comforting for patients to receive care when it’s a familiar face,” she says.
Nurses in Watson Lake work as a team within the hospital and collaborate closely with the Watson Lake Health Centre and other healthcare partners to ensure seamless care for the community.
Let’s learn more about Kristi’s role with Yukon Hospitals.
What’s unique about working at Watson Lake Community Hospital?
It’s quite a small team here at Watson Lake Community Hospital. We work with two nurses and a clinical leader. Because of that, the team works with a little bit more autonomy and needs to be able to cover a wider scope of practice within their roles. Anything and everything that comes in, we need to be able to treat and manage!
Here I work as a clinical nurse leader but I also step into the nursing role working with patients as well as supporting clinical programs and services administratively.
In a small community, nurses often know their patients outside of the hospital setting. This aids in more holistic care as you often have a better understanding of their determinants of health. It can also be more comforting for patients to receive care when it’s a familiar face.
What do you like about this role?
What I like most is great teamwork. We have an awesome team here. We have a small team and you get to know people inside and outside of work.
It can become more like a family unit.
I enjoy having a broad scope of nursing practice and not feeling limited to one clinical area.
You work at Watson Lake Community Hospital. Downstairs in the same building is the Watson Lake Health Centre. Can you tell us how you work together?
The health centre downstairs includes the doctors’ clinic, pharmacy, public health and home care services. The close proximity allows us to easily collaborate with other disciplines for improved patient care outcomes.
Is there any advice you'd give to someone considering work in Yukon health care?
I think the best thing about working in Watson Lake is you’re able to prioritize a nice work-life balance and activities outside of work as well as still being able to work full-time.
The Yukon allows a nice work-life balance with plenty of time for outdoor adventures. You never have to travel far for outdoor activities.
In Watson Lake, activities I enjoy include time on the lake: fishing, boating and kayaking as well as sports that include hockey, pickle ball, curling and bowling. Plus there’s the hiking and biking trails!