When Gladys-Leigh Villacorta walked through the doors of Whitehorse General Hospital as a First Nations Health Program (FNHP) intern, she wasn’t stepping into unfamiliar territory—she was coming full circle.
A member of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation, with family roots in Dawson City, Old Crow, and Salvadorian ancestry, Villacorta grew up in Ontario but moved to the Yukon in 2011. Her grandmother, Mabel Reti (nee Abel-Martin), once worked as a candy striper and then a Registered Practical Nurse at the Whitehorse General Hospital.
“That’s where my love for healthcare came from,” Villacorta explains. “Knowing my grandma was a nurse, a caretaker of the family, always baking and making sure everyone’s okay—that really shaped me.”
Now 33 years old, she is honouring that legacy through a 6-month internship with the FNHP. The youth internship program aims to engage Indigenous youth from 18 to 35 years old in different healthcare roles at Yukon Hospitals, support education and training, and overall, increase Indigenous representation in healthcare while improving care for Indigenous patients.
Villacorta first came across the internship program several years ago while job searching, but the timing wasn’t right. Recently, she circled back to the opportunity and applied.
“I’ve always had an interest in healthcare and nursing,” she says. “I wanted to get my foot in the door and see what the hospital is about.” She reached out, and Scott Longman from Human Resources responded right away. The rest, as they say, is history.
Shadowing Liaisons and Support Workers to Provide Holistic Care
Since joining the internship, Villacorta has been shadowing the team of Liaisons and Support Workers at FNHP, learning firsthand the depth and breadth of their roles.
“Before I applied, I didn’t know the extent of what FNHP does to support patients,” she says.
Liaisons and Support Workers support Indigenous patients holistically—physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. They advocate for patient needs and coordinate with doctors, nurses, and healthcare teams to ensure they receive proper medications and care. But it doesn’t stop there, says Villacorta. The team works to help patients, especially those from remote communities, to find a safe place to stay in Whitehorse, or transportation back home.
“They’re making sure someone has somewhere safe to go, especially Elders. If a patient comes in on the weekend and gets discharged, shelters might not be safe, nor available.”
Her days as an intern have included everything from preparing traditional meals, including moose broth and stew, with the Cultural Connections team to building relationships and caring for Elders in the Thompson Centre to shadowing liaisons in Maternity and Surgical units. But it’s in the Emergency department where she feels most drawn to.
“There’s always something different going on,” she shares. “You meet people from the communities. Sometimes Elders come in feeling confused, unsafe, and alone. Just offering a piece of bannock can light them up—it’s something familiar and comforting.”
Villacorta remembers being on the receiving end of that care in 2013 when she gave birth to her own son at WGH.
“I was supported by Ann Swan and Rose Wilson (liaisons with FNHP). They offered me traditional meals and moose broth while I was in labour and let me know they were there for me,” she recalls. “It was really comforting.”
Now, she’s learning from the very people who once comforted her.
“It’s amazing to be learning from such strong women and men—they are powerhouses,” says Villacorta. “Watching the women work through intense emergencies and keep their cool, it’s been incredibly inspiring.”
Building Trust for Transformative Care through the First Nations Health Program
The internship has opened her eyes to the unseen layers of hospital care, recognizing the ways that everyone —from custodial workers to doctors —play a role in keeping things running smoothly.
“I’d encourage other youth to apply. It’s not as intimidating as it seems, and the hospital is such a positive, welcoming environment,” she says.
Supported by the FNHP team that checks in on her regularly, reminds her to eat and take breaks, and welcomes every question, Villacorta says she’s never experienced such care in a workplace.
“They always tell me, ‘We’ve got your back.’ It’s a very safe space to learn, ask questions, make mistakes, and grow,” she says.
As for what’s next? She’s considering going back to school for nursing or possibly stepping into a full-time liaison role.
“I think people need to see First Nations faces in the hospital. It shows there’s a positive connection and support, that our people can be in these positions and provide something for others to look up to. Especially when you think about where our people have come from, it’s huge,” she says.
Since day one of her internship, Villacorta says that she’s seen the positive impacts. From providing medical support to Indigenous patients, or helping someone find funding, accommodation, or transportation, to smaller acts like sharing a traditional meal, providing patients with beading kits, traditional chapstick and salves, or arranging a smudge in the Nàkù Healing Room, FNHP staff are making a difference in the lives of patients.
For her, the experience has been life affirming; both an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of her grandmother Mabel’s nursing legacy and inspire her son, too.
“Sometimes he says that he’d like to do something in healthcare, maybe become a doctor, or a nurse. It’s heartwarming and motivating for me to hear,” says Villacorta. “Maybe I can encourage that, and he’ll see a future in healthcare, too.”