This week might be the only one officially designated Nursing Week on the calendar, but Jayne Yearwood says that in Jasper, the community’s appreciation and recognition of its small staff of nurses lasts throughout the year.

“The truth is that there are very few people we don’t know in the community,” she says.

“We deal with people in a very vulnerable position and bonds develop quickly,” she says. Known around the community as Nurse Jayne, Yearwood has a warm manner that has earned her a sterling reputation in Jasper as someone to be counted on when people need hospital-based help. 

Yearwood works the night shift at Seton General, something she enjoys, along with the variety that her profession provides in a small community.

“In rural nursing you’re a jack of all trades. You have to be ready because you never know what’s coming through the door,” she says. “We have times when it is dead dog quiet and others where it’s crazy busy.”

As summer approaches and the tourists start to flock to Jasper, the pace of life at the hospital picks up. Working 12 hour days can be a lot to handle, but Yearwood says there’s no other life for her.

“I knew that I wanted to be a nurse when I was five years old... It’s part of who we are, there’s a real art to it, to caring for people.”

Yearwood has worked in Jasper for the past six years, and says that she draws inspiration from her colleagues all the time.

“One of the reasons that I like working here is that people go out of their way. It’s a very positive working environment. We’re proud of who we are and what we do, we feel supported by the community and we appreciate that.”

If there’s one message that Yearwood and her colleagues want to pass on, it’s that more nurses are needed.

“We really want to attract new people to the profession,” she says. “We do pretty well locally compared to the rest of Canada, but a lot of places are short staffed.”

Beyond Registered Nurses like Yearwood who work at the hospital and for the public health unit, Nursing Week is also intended to celebrate Nursing Attendents and Licenced Practical Nurses. Changes are coming to the care community here with the development of the assisted living facility, changes for the better, Yearwood hopes.