#our fresh truck was late over the weekend and one of my coworkers called in sick yesterday

[rosewiltd-moved]

i simply think miss corinne deserves kisses on this fine tuesday morning.

[thegrassisaalwaysgreener]

Travel Nursing-Pikangikum 2018

        I have been on a few nursing contracts now and have really enjoyed each one in their own way. After Christmas, I was supposed to be headed back to a community that I had been to before and really enjoyed. About a week before I was to leave, I found out I was being changed to a different community, one that I have been dreading going to since I started doing northern nursing. I am part of a group of all northern nursing who discuss what different communities are like, the good and the bad and this one had some mixed reviews. I have never been one to stray away from a bit of a challenge due to fear so I was ready to go!        Pikangikum (which yes, does sound like a pokemon) is a community about 100 km north of Red Lake and about 650 km NW of Thunder Bay. The population is estimated to be around 4000 with a census in 2011 confirming 2400 inhabitants. During the winter, many people use the winter road to go from Red Lake to Pik to get some supplies or to just get out of the community for a bit. This community, similar to many have a unemployment rate (around 90%) and has many issues with mental health and substance abuse. The community has had a lot of challenges with alcohol abuse and suicides but has been working diligently to provide more support for mental health along with various “ride” programs that help stop alcohol from being brought into the communities. (The Ride programs are a partnership with the OPP and peacekeepers in the community).  In my research before hand, I had heard that Pik is often a very busy unit with many challenges. Since I am still quite new to northern nursing, I prefer the “quieter”, slower paced communities. I was ready for the challenge, especially knowing that I would have plenty of support and guidance.           My flight out was fairly early in the am from Toronto into Winnipeg (so weird that you fly out of the province to fly back into it). Since I hate rush hour, I left extra early for the airport and enjoyed breakfast and a book into the Maple Leaf lounge. I was in Winnipeg by midday and took a cab over to the Perimeter hanger/airport just down the road from the main airport. I didn’t have to wait long for my plane to board and was surprised that there was actually security at this airport to check bags (normally you just walk on through a special terminal in Thunder bay and Siox Lookout. This plane was small but WAY nicer than some of the planes I have taken  (this one was a Dash 8-100 for any plane enthusiasts). I was even served coffee and cookies en route to our first stop which was Sandy Lake. A lot of the smaller planes that head up north make multiple stops (aka the Milk run). I was pleasantly surprised that this flight was only making one stop before landing in Pik which made the flight time just under 2 hours. Once in Pik, the attendant at the aiport called the nursing station for me and the driver was on his way to pick me up (often times with delayed flights they aren’t always there to get you right when you land which isn’t a huge deal)          Once I arrived, I met the nurse in charge and was given a brief tour of the facility before being giving the passcard to head over to the housing. There are 5 apartments attached to the nursing station along with a few trailers and duplexes out back for the staff to stay in. I was fortunate enough to be staying in the apartments attached to the nursing station which meant I wouldn’t have to go outside if I didn’t want to (which is always a plus). The accommodations, similar to the nursing station were old but fairly well kept. My apartment was a 3 bedroom with a good size living room and galley kitchen. My roommates were very lovely and I was already invited to play volleyball at the school and check out the Northern before I’d even unpacked.           We headed to the Northern (the grocery store in the north) and I was pleasantly surprised at how large it is. There was even a small Tim Horton’s and KFC inside. The prices were, of course more expensive than home but were a lot better than I had thought. After wandering around the store, we headed back to the nursing station to get ready for volleyball. One of the staff’s partners worked at the school and had a key to get into the gym so we were heading over to play some pick-up volleyball (wait, is that even a thing). The school is absolutely beautiful! It is just over a year old or so and holds grades jk through 12. There are 3-4 classes in each of the elementary school ages and then the numbers drop off a bit after grade 9. We had a great time playing volleyball and with some of the other fun equipment that I hadn’t played with since I was in elementary school (think scoops and scooters). Since I already had meal prepped and cooked all the food for the week, dinner was super easy and I was ready for bed early.           Friday was a total blur for the most part. While the clinic wasn’t super busy, I am not overly proficient in some of my primary health care assessments (e.g ear assessments) and it also seemed to take me forever to find things. Despite being given a fairly extensive tour, the rooms and hallways kind of looked the same, especially when I walked around endlessly for things that weren’t actually stocked. Much of the nursing stations are set up in similar ways and a lot of the basic skills are very transferrable (e.g lab stuff, basic assessment, med rooms etc). Each clinic is run a bit differently and the population is always a bit different, so finding your way and how things work at each clinic can take time. Usually I need two –three full days of clinic to feel like I know where things are and how things work. Since I only do one week contracts, by the time you have everything figured out, it’s time to leave! Ah well, that is the beauty, and part of the fun of agency work and travelling to new places.           Most of the clinics are run similarly with varying amounts of staff. Pik is a 8-9 nurse station which is fairly big and might be one of the largest in the north In terms of work days, everyone except the person on call works 830-1700 and the person on call works 8-1600. Typically on call during the week is 1800-0800 and you can be called at any time during that time frame. There is a second person who is on call for back up and is often called until about midnight. The person who was on call overnight can come in between 10 and 12 depending on how late they were working. The weekends are a bit different as call is in 8 hour blocks. I was lucky enough to be the first on call on Saturday, which kept me steadily busy and learning new things. The weekends, especially during the winter can be very challenging as it is very cold and there isn’t much to do so being on call is perfect. I decided on the Sunday to go for a little stroll outside… It was only -20 or so with the windchill so I figured it was a good day to go out and get some fresh air. -20 up there is way better than even -5 down south. The dry cold is so much more tolerable than the damn cold. However, it is a lot easier to get frost bite in the dry cold (or at least I think) because you don’t realize how cold it is until after the fact. In any case, I took my base layers, parka and walking stick for a little stroll towards the lake. It is not very common to see people walking around outdoors in these communities, especially in the winter. I should’ve realized my lack of intelligence in walking alone in the winter, without cell reception when I got several funny looks from passing trucks. It really became apparent that maybe I hadn’t made the best decision when I heard a bunch of dogs start barking and then make their way towards me. Luckily, they all seemed very friendly and were more interested in each other than me.  Plus, my magical walking stick kept them entertained/humoured while I continued on my walk. I walked up the towards the store along the lake which looked beautiful in the sun. I was hoping that the store would be open so I could grab a Timmies coffee for the rest of my walk but sadly, it was not open. On my way back, I thought it would be wise to avoid the homes that I recalled having multiple dogs at them which ended up being a bad idea. I walked up a residential street that had one of the scariest dogs I have ever seen on it who had a very fierce bark… Thankfully, he was on a leash of some sort and I was pretty sure he wasn’t getting loose. I made it back to the clinic in record time and did a small workout in the basement before making dinner. Some communities have exercise areas which I really appreciate. This one was in a bit of a creepy basement work room but it had some basics and I was thankful for the weights and space.             The rest of the week was fairly uneventful but rather enjoyable. We went to the gym both Monday and Wednesday nights which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was nice to move after a busy day in the clinic and awesome to just laugh and goof around. Tuesday was taco and wing night (my coworkers were awesome) along with homemade pie night. I was on call sadly but they still made sure I had more than enough to eat. I was really fortunate this week to work with a great group of nurses. I learned a lot not only about the north and primary health but about nursing in general, travelling and life. I also lucked out as the clinic was considerably more quiet than it had been in weeks prior which made me happy and breathe a bit easier than my mildly slow skills woulnd’t hold everything up too much.            Attempting to get home was quite the mission. I worked the full day on Thursday and called the airline multiple times to check the flight times. A lot of the northing flights and companies aren’t the most reliable and can’t always fly due to weather so it is super important to double check the flight times and the flight status’. I was told that my flight into Winterpeg was going to be delayed by 2 hours so I figured going to the one restaurant (if you can call it that) in town was appropriate. One of the other nurses drove me over in the truck and it was quite the experience. The place is called Kwans (or the Pikagikum Restaurant) and is a very non-descript room in a random building near the OPP office. There are basic tables and chairs to sit at and no only can you buy chinese/American/comfort food, you can get your essentials such as treats, cereal, toilet paper etc. It was quite the experience but for it being a fly in only community, I was very surprised and impressed that there was a store at all. The prices were relative  (10-15$ for a meal) and the food wasn’t too bad. I got the chicken fried rice which was tasty but lacking a bit in vegetables (which is about par for the course in the north). I am very glad that I had a huge bowl of rice especially after I waited over an hour at the chilly airport for a plane that never actually left the Sioux. I was told AFTER my flight was supposed to land that the plane had never left Sioux due to the fuel truck being frozen and unable to refuel the plan enough to get it to Pik. I was extremely frustrated about this since I was going to miss my morning flight from Winnipeg to Toronto and not get into Toronto until much later in the day. The perimeter staff was kind and gave me a one way from Pik to Winnipeg free (not too sure when I will use that but it’s the thought that counts right!). I was able to head back to the clinic and gave the girls the low down on the evening. After chatting and enjoying the rest of our evening, I headed to bed to wake up and try to make it home again.             After some additional miscommunication about flight delays, I made my way from Pik into Winnipeg and over to the Winnipeg Maple Leaf lounge. I spent the majority of my day enjoy some snacks, bevvys and my book (The Couple Next door-definitely worth the read). My flight home from Winterpeg wasn’t until just after 1600 so I had plenty of time to kill. The Maple leaf Lound in Winterpeg is definitely smaller than the rest I have been in, but is still very nice with all the necessary amenities. Sadly, after several delays, including the closure of the Toronto landing strips, my flight didn’t leave until many hours later. On the plus side, I did finish a book and did avoid rush hour traffic on my way home from the airport.            While my travel home was less than ideal, I had a great time in Pik and am really glad I went. I met some really cool people (patients and staff) and learned a ton! Plus, it made a community that I was very nervous to go, way less scary and I will be happy to go back the next time the opportunity presents itself. That is all about the north for now… Hopefully I will be out on another contract in March or April and I am sure it will still be just as cold as it is now!