Naomi Nickerson says the diversity of roles and breadth of work she oversees is just one of the things she loves about working in an ambulatory clinic providing specialized outpatient services out of the Thompson General Hospital.

As a community care nurse practitioner, Nickerson bridges the gap between patients who have issues more serious than primary care can address (chronic issues such as diabetes or minor illnesses and infections) but not serious enough to require emergency intervention. According to her colleagues, Nickerson embodies the true meaning of a nurse by providing the highest standard of care to clients and patients through her experience and expertise, while also continuing to improve and learn new skills.

After graduating with a nursing degree in New Brunswick, Nickerson moved westward to start her career and quickly learned she enjoyed working in the community more than in a hospital setting. She applied for a job in Thompson and has called the community home ever since.

“I’ve had so many great opportunities here over the years to experience things in my practice and in life that I would not have had the opportunity to do at home,” she says.  

“Here, I’ve had so many opportunities to work in different programs and learn new things that I never would have had anywhere else. This is a great place not only to start your career but also if you like career variety, which is definitely what I like. I absolutely recommend working here.”

After taking on some management responsibilities in addition to her role as a registered nurse (RN), Nickerson realized her first love was clinical care. She went back to school to get her master’s degree and became a nurse practitioner (NP). Nurse practitioners are RNs with advanced education and greater autonomy, allowing them to diagnose, order diagnostics, refer to specialists and prescribe. She worked in the Thompson clinic for six years and has spent the last two in ambulatory care.

“One of the things about NPs, I don’t know if people really realize, is that NPs come from the nurses who tend to be in their communities and know their communities. So instead of a stranger coming in, this is somebody who already knows the people and understands the culture of where you are. It doesn’t really matter what community you’re in — whether it’s north, south or rural — but NPs understand what the issues are in that community because they’ve usually lived it.”

In a typical week, Nickerson primarily spends her time in the community care ambulatory clinic but also takes on prenatal care, addiction services and is a sexual assault nurse examiner. Regardless of what area she is working in, she believes in patient-centred care and truly taking the time to understand each patient as a person. Her approach is humanizing and she gives her patients the power of choice by presenting them with options that can only come with a thorough understanding of their situation, beliefs and values. 

“This may sound strange, but I love working in addictions. There’s such a need for it. I don’t think people realize how often in addictions, it’s not just the addiction — so many other things are happening. It could be mental health, housing, domestic violence, coping issues and grief. When people trust you enough to tell you what is actually going on, I think it’s a hopeful thing — and I think that’s what I love about it the most,” she says.

“I believe in women having the right to make their own decisions about their own body. With the sexual assault nurse examiner role, I want and I’ve chosen to be there for females who are going through something horrendous and just really need somebody in the health-care system who is going to be an advocate for them. I’m very much in favour of advocacy and having people support you through your journey.”

Nickerson is also passionate about nursing standards and continued growth and development. She believes in patient safety and ensuring that patients receive high quality care. As such, she also dedicates her time as a union steward, sits on the provincial college council and has been coordinating wound care education with other nurses and interdisciplinary health-care professionals for the past two years.

“I think you actually have to care in nursing,” she says. “The opportunity to do so many different things and have so many experiences and meet my patients at various different avenues and venues, I feel like I get the opportunity to care about people in different ways.”

The Thompson Community Care Clinic is located within the Thompson General Hospital and operates seven days a week. The Northern Health Region,  created this service to take the pressure off the emergency departmentand help patients avoid long wait times.