Tish Trevelyan
Prince George Regional Correctional Centre nurses Bev Vair and Tish Trevelyan
Celebrating Our Profession
What is your unit or specialty, and where do you work?
I am the "OAT" (opiate agonist treatment) nurse at Prince George Regional Correctional Centre, so I deal with people with opiate addictions and their suboxone/methadone treatments. I have also just been hired as a casual at the Gateway Seniors Home.
How long have you been nursing?
It will be 10 years in August.
Why did you become a nurse and when did you know that nursing was for you?
I was five years old. I remember seeing an accident when I was out with my parents and all I wanted to do was go and help the guy who was hurt. I decided then I wanted to be a nurse. For the next 11 years I always watched shows like Rescue 911 with my dad and wished I could be the nurses in the hospital. In high school I was able to do a few shadow shifts in the emergency room and that is when I knew for sure I wanted to be a nurse!
How would you describe the work you do in one word?
Rewarding
How does COVID-19 make you feel?
A little stressed out at times. After reading about the outbreak at one of the federal jails it really made it real – a true realization of how quickly this virus can take over a population, especially in a place like a jail where social distancing isn't always possible.
Name one thing on your nursing bucket list.
Learn to do IV starts (we are not able to do them at my workplace) or go back to school to become an RN.
What do you appreciate most about your fellow nurses?
They are always there for each other. Whether a co-worker is struggling with work issues or personal issues, they are always there and willing to listen and give advice, and help out
Celebrating Each Other
Why do you want to acknowledge Bev Vair?
I am so grateful to work with my friend Bev. She is an incredible nurse. We have been really close. She has been nursing for 17 years and started working at the jail seven years ago, about two and a half years after I did. We have hit it off since she started.
We have a good working relationship, we just kind of know what each other is thinking. We just get into the flow and we do not even need to ask each other what needs to be done – we just kind of click.
She's got a very good sense of humor, and always can make me laugh and keep me sane during these stressful times! She's very blunt, which is nice. It's one of the things I like about her. She's always happy and she's just got a very caring personality.
She has just always been there for me. •