“I decided to go to school for Respiratory Therapy after the COVID pandemic. After learning about the shortages of Respiratory Therapists in the news and seeing how important the work is, I applied for the program at Thomson Rivers University (TRU).
I’m finishing up my clinical year and completing my bachelors simultaneously. I’ve been doing hands-on work in hospitals – once I even got to assist with an open-heart surgery. The training we get is amazing, and I feel ready and excited to apply what I’ve learned when I graduate in a few months.
My favorite part of clinical work so far has been patient advocation and interacting with patients. I remember when I was in Vancouver General Hospital there was a woman who had to take oxygen home. She was panicked by the situation and not listening well but I was able to calm her down and reassure her that it was our job to take care of everything, and all she had to do was use the oxygen as directed.
The bursary provided by TB Vets was incredibly helpful and I thank the donors from the bottom of my heart. It alleviated some of the financial stress of being a student, and allowed me to focus on my clinical studies and volunteering. Now I’m excited to start working later this year!”
