Nursing makes a difference

Nursing graduates Mary Le and Mike Grills wanted to make a difference and they chose their profession to make it happen.

By Erin Mason

Mary Le, BN'04, entered the University of Calgary’s nursing program when she was just 17. Her fiance, Mike Grills, originally enroled in kinesiology at the University of Regina but transferred to the University of Calgary’s nursing program after shadowing his mom and fellow nurse in the ICU.

“I wanted to make a difference in someone’s life,” says Le about her chosen career. “Thankfully I made a good decision and really enjoy my profession.” Grills, who always liked anatomy and physiology “really liked the patient interaction” that the nursing profession provides.

Le and Grils like the focus that “the University of Calgary nursing program focused on providing culturally sensitive and compassionate care." “Another advantage going to the University of Calgary’s nursing program was the exposure to the many different kinds of nursing.” For example, Le was able to go to England for her final semester of nursing and they both participated in rotations in mental health, public health, acute care, and occupational health. "All these different experiences helped us become adaptable in a variety of different clinical settings.” 

After graduation, Le and Grills worked for a year at Calgary’s Rockyview Hospital, Le in the neuromedial unit and Mike in the mental health unit. Then they took positions at Paradise Valley Hospital, located in a poor neighborhood in San Diego, CA on the border with Tijuana and worked as staff nurses.

Although challenging, working at Paradise Valley kindled a lasting desire to help others less fortunate. Maximizing their University of Calgary nursing education was also a priority and this caused Le and Grills to move to San Francisco in 2007 and accept new positions at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) hospital.

Grills works at the San Francisco General Hospital-San Francisco’s level- one trauma hospital, which primarily serves the uninsured and underserved population in the city.

“I love my job,” says Le, who works in UCSF’s neonatal intensive care unit and on their transport team. “I like the challenges that come with working with the sickest infants and enjoy working closely with their families.”

This July, Le and Grills combined their love of nursing and travel into a new adventure. They each took a leave of absence to work in Congo for a small non-governmental organization, International Pediatric Outreach Project (IPOP). IPOP partners with Heal Africa, a hospital in Goma, to train nurses and provide education and safety seminars to improve infant and child health in under-resourced communities.

This trip marks Le’s second time in Congo and Grills’ first. “Congo is a tough place to live and work. Even though this is my second time here, it’s not any easier,” says Grills. Safety concerns and cultural difference in healthcare aside, the biggest challenge is in the lack of equipment.

“It’s really hard to grasp the situation until one experiences it,” says Grills. “Poverty of the majority of citizens is hard to accept. Some nurses make $30 US a month. As a foreigner, you’re under the microscope at the hospital and in regular life. Constant stares and attention take a while to get used to.”

Although the work environment is challenging and the lack of basic equipment makes providing the most basic care difficult, Le and Grills are constantly amazed the compassion of the nurses and the ability of the people to continue living regular lives. “The resilience of people inspires me,” says Grills.

“The work [in Congo] is not easy for many reasons, living here is not easy,” says Le, who plans to continue humanitarian work throughout her career. “When people have so little, it is easy to make a different in their lives and the patients really appreciate it.”

Read more about nursing in Congo Le’s blog–the most recent entry about touch decisions many Congolese families face.