Lisa Kordalchuk, RN, BScN has been an instructional associate at Brandon University since 2016.
“I love my job, it's definitely my favourite job that I've ever had and it's the one job I can say that I love more now today than I did when I started,” says Lisa.
She adds that the best part of her job is getting to share her passion for nursing with young people who are excited to join the field.
“The thing I really enjoy about it is getting to see the students grow from the first time they walk through our doors and they're often very anxious and don't have a lot of self-confidence, but just to see them grow throughout the program and change is a really neat thing that I get to be a part of.”
Lisa is also the chair of the psychiatric nursing department, a role that keeps her busy.
“In this role I get to really be supportive of students and faculty and I really got to understand the whole program,” says Lisa. “I get to be involved in all kinds of different areas and I really like that because I'm just one of those people that likes to be busy!”
Originally from Victoria, BC, Lisa grew up watching her mom work as a unit clerk at a psychiatric hospital.
“She worked there for 35 years, so I spent a lot of time visiting her there and helping out at Christmas to handout gifts to the patients with Santa, and I just had a desire to know more, and it was just really fascinating to me,” says Lisa. “I really believe that I'm lucky to get to do the work that I do.”
Lisa worked in geriatric mental health, adolescent inpatient, community mental health, and addictions before coming to Brandon University in 2016.
“What I really like about working with students in the University, is that I actually get to see their growth and so that part is so rewarding. Something that I talk to my students about a lot is that it can be really hard to hear stories and work with folks that are struggling, and you know it's challenging, so self-care is so important,” she says.
“Self-care can look like so many different things. I think self-care is such a buzzword right now, and it's not necessarily bubble baths and massages. It’s about knowing yourself and knowing what you need, and to look after yourself, whatever that might look like.”
She adds that setting boundaries can also go a long way in protecting someone’s mental wellbeing.
“I think as nurses we give so much of ourselves sometimes that we don't set boundaries. We feel like we always have to be giving and we always have to be on, and I think sometimes we do feel guilty. But just knowing that we do need to take care of ourselves, and again, I tell my students that all the time you can't pour from an empty cup,” says Lisa.
“And despite the way things have been over the last couple of years, I think it's still a great career.”
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