The Great North is a dream … Extensive spaces, roads without traffic, the northern lights, the outdoors for all its picturesqueness! But it’s also a great feeling of freedom, especially if you have a taste for adventure! As a nurse, you’ll be able to take on great challenges while truly changing lives. In short, by practicing in the heart of tightly woven communities, you’ll be recognized for your talents, skills and dedication.
Re-discovering your passion: caring for people!
The living conditions of the indigenous people regularly make media headlines: no drinking water, expensive food and human tragedies. But we rarely hear that the people of Northern Ontario, Northern Prairies, James Bay, Nunavik and Nunavut are, first and foremost, very welcoming people who have their community at heart.
By working in the Great North, you can reconnect on your values, on your profession. You will return to the very essence of your profession, the one that made you choose the profession of nursing, that is to care for and relieve populations that really need you. In the North, you can make a real difference! You will be recognized and greeted on the street, because your skills are essential in the villages of the Great North.
What does the Great North look like?
When you think about embarking on an adventure in the Great North, you may be fearful of a few things. First of all, how will I get there? Most regions are accessible by car or plane. From Toronto, Winnipeg or Montreal by car, there are trips between 5 and 17 hours which will give you the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the environment. Travelling along winding roads, you’ll be amazed by the beauty of the breathtaking landscapes. Nature is grand in the North – it takes up all the space! You’ll quickly feel free, leaving behind the pressures and obligations of the city!
When you arrive, you’ll be welcomed with open arms as nurses are very essential people in these communities. You won’t be just “a number” as when working in a hospital – You’ll be a person respected for their skills and abilities. In addition, you’ll have inspiring meetings with other professionals who work in the North. New friendships will arise from spaghetti parties, games or movies, which will create lasting memories.
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An enriching practice from all points of view!
Working as a nurse in dispensaries or health centres in the Great North means having the chance to work in extended practice. You’ll be providing care and will perform medical procedures that are not authorized in the South. You may, for instance, help women giving birth! Imagine a practice where there are a limited number of health professionals, and it’s mainly the nurses doing the work in an isolated village. You can surpass your previous professional experience, learn new techniques, innovate, and push your limits. After a trip to the North, nurses are often much more independent and have a much higher level of knowledge!
You’ll be amazed how, in such a short time, you’ll become a completely different person, both professionally and personally. Empathy, understanding of others and surpassing yourself will make you an even more determined, understanding and caring nurse.
The richness of cultural traditions amid a complete change of scenery!
Working in the Great North means literally immersing yourself in Indigenous culture. Everything is slow in the North, so you’ll have time to appreciate every moment, to reconnect to what is important, to take the time to experience life far from the traffic jams and the hectic pace of life in the city.
Depending on the village you’re in, you’ll have close contact with indigenous people with very different lifestyles and cultural traditions. In no time, you’ll be enthralled with tasting all kinds of exotic dishes among the Inuit, such as seal or whale meat. Among the Cree and Innu, you can take skidoo or 4-wheel rides to admire the splendour of nature. Imagine crisscrossing majestic rivers in a kayak, having time to read in a bay or even walking on the tundra. And then there are the Northern Lights! You’ll still be dreaming of them when you return from the Great North!
Find out more about the regions
- Far North of Ontario: https://www.ontario.ca/page/far-north-ontario
- Travel Manitoba
- Travel Nunavut: https://travelnunavut.ca/english-landing/
- Destination Nunavut: https://destinationnunavut.ca/
- Baie-James Tourism: https://tourismebaiejames.com/
- Ulysse guide: https://www.guidesulysse.com/fr/fiche-contenu.aspx?id=40093
- Quebec Aboriginal Tourism: https://www.quebecaboriginal.com
- Quebec’s Far North Nunavik Tourism: https://www.nunavik-tourism.com/index.htm
- Voyage-Voyage Nunavik: https://www.voyagevoyage.ca/destinations/canada/quebec/nunavik-secret-quebec-1.1758633
- I’m going to Canada Baie d’Hudson: https://www.jeparsaucanada.com/baie-dhudson/
Find out more about health centres:
- Baie-James: Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay (Chisasibi): https://www.creehealth.org/
- Baie-d’Hudson : Hudson’s Bay: Le Centre de Santé Inuulitsivik (Puvirnituq): https://www.inuulitsivik.ca/?lang=en
- Ungava Bay: Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services (Kuujjuaq): https://nrbhss.ca/
- Nord-du-Québec:
James Bay Regional Health and Social Services Center (Chibougamau): http://www.crsssbaiejames.gouv.qc.ca/ - Territory of Nunavut: various health centres, Qikiqtani General Hospital and foster homes (Iqaluit): https://www.gov.nu.ca/health/information/health-facilities