Stephanie Sprout
CNE, Wife, Mother, Camper, Educator, Human
When I began my nursing studies, I initially wanted to go into pediatrics. As a young adult, I had grown to love kids and coaching, so it seemed like a natural fit; however, after graduating from nursing school in Kamloops, I ended up taking a position on floor Two Royal here at Royal Jubilee Hospital, which included the burn unit. It was where the staffing gaps were at the time, so I just fell into this spot, and I loved it immediately. With burn care, people often either really love it or really don’t. I absolutely did, and I’ve never left. I kind of geek out over it.
In 2020, after more than a decade as a bedside nurse, I transitioned into a new role as a Clinical Nurse Educator or CNE. In this role, I support our incoming and current staff with training, procedure development, advocacy, and really just talking things out as challenges arise. Especially as a new nurse, it can be overwhelming to have to do something like a massive dressing change if you don’t have support, so I’m there to help. And I get to do it where my career began, in the Burn Unit, as well as with Urology, Plastics, short stay and ENT—the other surgical teams here at Royal Jubilee floor Seven South
“I just fell into this spot, and I loved it immediately.”
Being a CNE is quite interesting. It’s a role that is very much whatever you want to make it. How do I want to support my unit? I’m very passionate about burn care, and specifically optimizing patient & nurse experience. They are really two sides of the same coin. If nurses are well supported to fulfill their duties, it impacts everybody & everything: morale on the unit, staff retention, and ultimately, our patients’ care. So I’ve worked very hard over the past number of years to make sure that the correct procedures and resources are available so that everyone can be more comfortable.
It’s a big responsibility for sure. We’re the referral center for Island Health for a number of surgical divisions that only take place at Royal Jubilee hospital: Burns & Complex Wounds as well as Vascular and Thoracic Surgery. Supporting best practices and quality improvement for these specialty services often means supporting other units as well as other hospitals on the Island. I wouldn’t be able to stay in this role and manage life at home with two young kids if I didn’t have the support that I have from my husband, Mike, and our families. I feel incredibly lucky.
“If nurses are well supported to fulfill their duties, it impacts everybody & everything: morale on the unit, staff retention, and ultimately, our patients’ care.”
When we have some time off, Mike and I, our two kids Linden and Mila, and our dog Milton, love camping. We have done a number of road trips up and down the Island. A couple years ago we discovered San Josef Bay. It’s the most beautiful beach I’ve ever been on—ever. There are so many gems around that area. I was raised in Campbell River, and I’ve got family there still, so I’m a North Island kid. We’ve thought about moving back up there, but one of the things that keeps me here in Victoria is my job. Because Royal Jubilee is the burn care referral centre for Vancouver Island, if I were to move, my work just wouldn’t be the same. I love it too much to leave.
I spend a lot of time with people who are not at their best. Whether its employees under a lot of pressure with heavy workloads, or a patient who has received a terrible diagnosis or had a traumatic accident. Being able to be with someone in these emotional times and support them through that is a big piece of being a nurse, and being a human. At the end of the day, I get to meet people where they’re at and help them get where they need to be. To me, that’s really rewarding.
“Because Royal Jubilee is the burn care referral centre for Vancouver Island, if I were to move, my work just wouldn’t be the same. I love it too much to leave.”
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More than 8,900 caregivers and staff work around the clock in our Victoria Hospitals
#HumansFirst is dedicated to sharing the stories from behind our hospitals’ frontlines. These stories remind us that those who provide care and keep the lights on in our hospitals also have lives outside of them. They have family and friends, they enjoy hobbies and interests, and they have all lived through their own personal triumphs and heartbreaks. Like all of us, they are human, and they have a story to tell.
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