In early December, Nicole Dillman was ecstatic to begin her new role as Team Lead for the First Nations Health Programs (FNHP) at Whitehorse General Hospital. The inaugural role was created to strengthen patient care, support staff, and bring greater consistency to how Indigenous patients and families experience care within Yukon Hospitals.
Nicole is a Citizen of Kwanlin Dün First Nation, who lives in Whitehorse with her husband, their three children, and their dog, Berek. Although she grew up in Kamloops, B.C., she has strong family roots in the Yukon.
“My family, on my mother’s side, is from the Yukon,” says Nicole. “My mother’s Donna Lindsay, and my grandmother is Virginia Lindsay. My great grandmother’s Aggie Broeren — they’re from Lake Laberge. And then my grandmother’s father, Frank Slim, is from Marsh Lake.”
For Nicole, becoming the Team Lead of FNHP is a responsibility she takes seriously, but also one that represents a personal continuation of work she has been building towards over the last decade. She first started working at the hospital in 2018 as a practicum student in the social work program through Yukon University. Then, she was offered a job as a support worker with FNHP.
“I loved it, and they asked me to stay, and so I did,” says Nicole.
Eight years later, she was ready to step into the new Team Lead role with FNHP.
Helping Patients Navigate the Complex Medical System
The new Team Lead role was designed to alleviate pressure on managerial staff within the First Nations Health Program. The position focuses on day-to-day patient care, staff support, training new employees, and overall, coordination within FNHP.
“The idea was to help support the staff with patient care, or challenging cases, including complex discharges,” Nicole explains. “So I would be able to jump in and coach and support the staff however they need me.”
While much of the FNHP’s work involves supporting First Nations patients admitted to hospital, Nicole notes that many people who come through the program are not patients themselves. Some are family members accompanying loved ones, while others are navigating appointments outside the territory, or simply need someone to talk to. A key part of her role is helping people navigate the complex medical system.
Along with supporting patient-care, Nicole coaches staff, helps train new employees, and serves on hospital committees.
“When a new employee starts at FNHP, I’ll help with getting them integrated into the hospital system,” she says.
One of the most important aspects of the new role, according to Nicole, is consistency in patient care. By attending rounds and staying informed about patient needs across the hospital, she can advocate directly on behalf of First Nations patients.
“Going to rounds, having an idea of what’s going on with all our patients, and then attending rounds and kind of advocating in rounds on behalf of the patients — that’s really important,” she says.
Vision for Positive Experiences for First Nations Patients at the Hospital
Nicole’s commitment to patient care is rooted in her own childhood experiences. Growing up, her mother spent significant time in hospital undergoing surgeries. Nicole remembers those experiences as largely positive — “everyone was so nice,” she recalls — and she wants to give that back to patients today.
“It’s my hope that when First Nations Health Programs comes to visit, it’s a good part of their day,” says Nicole. “That we can bring them some comfort, even if it’s just a hot cup of tea, or some traditional food heated up, or a conversation.”
Some of Nicole’s favourite moments come from spending time with Elders.
“I love being able to sit with our Elders and hear stories about when they were young,” she says. “They’ll start telling you all these stories about back when they were growing up, and what they did in the extreme cold,” she laughs. “You hear stories about how their parents used traditional medicines.”
Nicole speaks warmly about the FNHP team, describing it as diverse, collaborative, and supportive. There’s a variety of staff who specialize in medical work, social work, and mental health.
“Everybody is really supportive and helpful. If you have any questions, it’s really a collaborative team, which I love,” she says.
That collaborative spirit is part of what drew her to the Team Lead role, in the first place, and it’s her goal to amplify that sense of collaboration within FNHP.
“I wanted to bring out that collaboration more,” she says.
The FNHP team is made up of Indigenous people from many regions of the Yukon and across Canada, which ultimately strengthens patient care.
“It’s important when supporting patients, because staff can learn about their culture and the ways we can best support them. I love this aspect of our team,” says Nicole.
At the same time, the work is not without challenges. Nicole acknowledges the difficulty of working within colonial institutions, particularly for patients who have had negative experiences with the medical system. Many Indigenous patients carry the impacts of intergenerational trauma linked to residential schools and colonization.
“As a social worker, you can see the pain that many patients are struggling with,” she says. “This is, in part, why it’s so important for our staff to debrief and support one another.”
Part of the team’s work involves trying to de-institutionalize hospital spaces — making them feel safer, more welcoming, and more culturally grounded.
Looking ahead, Nicole hopes that the new role will help to strengthen relationships, improve care, and ensure First Nation patients and families feel supported during their time at Whitehorse General Hospital. She also plans to take on a greater role in supporting staff well-being.
“I’ll be working to build the best team possible to make ourselves the best support workers that we can be for patients and their families,” she says.