Alberta Health Services

Are you a Licensed Practical Nurse who loves small town living? Join our multi-disciplinary team in Two Hills and play a vital role in providing quality, patient and family centered care to the community. Click the link to explore this opportunity and apply now: https://lnkd.in/gr_jinJk #AHScareers #TwoHills #LicensedPracticalNurse

Dig in and discover Drumheller beyond the fossils! The Town of Drumheller is a small community offering a big lifestyle on the dramatic backdrop of the central badlands. Find sports, arts, and cultural activities as you build a career in this one of a kind rural community. See what we’re hiring for in Drumheller and other rural Alberta communities at ahs.ca/ruralcareers. #AHScareers #RuralCareers #Drumheller

Renee Johnson’s cancer journey began in July 2023 when she felt a pulsing in her breast. Knowing something was wrong, she saw her doctor the next day. Six weeks later, following a mammogram, the results were confirmed with a life-changing diagnosis —Stage 3 breast cancer that had spread to one of her lymph nodes, with three tumours. “I looked at my daughter that day and said, ‘How am I supposed to walk out of here the person I was when I walked in?’ The first thing I thought was that I was dying,” she said. Then, her next thought: “I’ve gotta fight this.” Within weeks, Johnson had a double mastectomy, reconstructive surgery, and began eight months of chemotherapy, followed by six weeks of radiation treatment appointments, five days per week. “You don’t know what road you’re on,” Johnson said. “You have months and months of dangling and not knowing what’s going to happen. But I just had to accept it and keep fighting.” Fast forward to October 2024—Johnson’s final radiation treatment at Tom Baker Cancer Centre—one of the last treatments there before staff and equipment transitioned to the new Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre. She rang the bell to signal the completion of her treatment alongside her daughter Alandra, and seven-year-old grandsons Tyson and Benjamin. Driven by her faith and family, Johnson met her journey with strength and positivity – which she wishes for anyone going through a similar journey. “Don’t ignore a lump,” Johnson said. “If you feel like there is something wrong, it’s never too minor to go to the doctor to get it checked to be safe. No matter how old you are.” For Johnson, she is embracing the next chapter of her life. “I’m looking forward to my journey after, being the person I wasn’t before and looking at things more positively and differently,” she said. “My plan is to take what is given to me.” October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and a reminder that screening mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early. Talk to your healthcare provider about your breast cancer risk and need for mammograms. Visit https://lnkd.in/gEbatfrW for more information.

In the summer of 2022, a citizen mentioned the lack of flowers around St. Albert’s Sturgeon Community Hospital. The site manager at the time, Mary Lou Mckenzie, challenged her team to start a gardening club to beautify the site — and to reach out to their community for support to create a patient-friendly garden space. Sadly, two weeks later McKenzie died, which inspired staff to make a healing garden legacy project in her memory. In 2023, an overgrown space behind the hospital was chosen, and volunteers got busy clearing the site. This year, retaining walls were cleaned up, flower beds planted, and fountains and furnishings were added to a space made safe for patients and visitors to enjoy. To date, the project is credited by the hard work and volunteer support of a growing number of gardening club members and community donors, including the Kinsmen Club of St. Albert who partnered with the hospital to help expand and maintain the garden in the coming years. In September, staff gathered alongside members of the community to celebrate the official opening of Mary Lou’s Garden. “I feel her presence, it feels so magical,” says patient care manager Sandy Mageau. “I like to think of her sitting there on one of the benches enjoying the sights, sounds, and smell of the garden. That’s healing to me.”

Occupational Therapists (OTs) have the ability to make major impacts on a patient’s day-to-day life. OTs support patients with the tasks of every day living and collaborate with them to find tools and tricks that help them to get back to their normal routine. At the Vermillion Health Centre, new graduates and seasoned professionals alike have the independence to take on a variety of patient cases in a huge range of settings from hospital to homecare. Learn more about this unique position at: https://lnkd.in/gYXM_N-3 #OTmonth #OccupationalTherapyMonth

Patients who work with a Registered Dietitian, like Kelsey, understand how food can enrich their lives. Through her focus on building good habits and addressing the emotions behind eating, she helps build a healthy foundation focused on nutrition and making alternative food choices. Learn more about Dietitians at AHS at: https://lnkd.in/gqrnjEas #NutritionDay #Nutrition #Dietitian

Kevin Ciccone, a respiratory therapist at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, knows all about pressure--both on the job and in your airways. "We are called for many different reasons, but most often patients are in critical situations and struggling to breathe," explains Ciccone. Ciccone is the one that people rely on in tough moments like these. But many might be surprised to learn that he keeps the air flowing throughout a patient's recovery. "We can be involved with a patient during their emergency visit, through their ICU stay and onto their discharge and follow up." Ciccone is proud to see how the respiratory therapist role has expanded across the hospital and into the community over the years. For him, it's just one of many reasons why it's important to celebrate Respiratory Therapy Week (Oct 20-26, 2024).

It's an exciting time to be a part of our Human Resources team at AHS, as we work together to create environments that are diverse and inclusive, where our people feel safe, healthy and valued and reach their full potential. Work with some of the best HR professionals in Canada for one of the nation’s largest employers and help us achieve our mission: to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans. Position is Hybrid with a preference to the South Zone. Apply now! https://lnkd.in/gBrh2Jdu #ahsCareers #HumanResourcesJobs #MedicineHat

Using your mind to control machinery sounds like sci-fi to some, but for Tristin Froma, it’s becoming reality. Tristin, who has cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects his ability to move freely, is one of several patients trialing a brain-computer interface (BCI) to drive his electric wheelchair at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital. In his daily life, he can control his power wheelchair using sensors connected to his head rest. However, at the Glenrose, he now gets to convert his brain activity patterns into commands to control devices, including his wheelchair. “I love using BCI to move my wheelchair,” says the 19-year-old. “It makes me feel free.” “Patients like Tristin have to rely on a lot of people to help them do things, but with BCI, he is doing things on his own,” says Rennie Froma, Tristin’s mom. “He gets so excited every time he has a BCI appointment. Just seeing the smile on his face when he’s driving his wheelchair is incredible. I’m so grateful to the donors for giving him this opportunity.” Patients with restricted mobility use BCI at the Glenrose to play video games, move a robot covered in paint to create art, play music and, in Tristin’s case, to drive a wheelchair. “Unlike switches or eye gaze, BCI does not rely on any physical movements,” says Corinne Tuck, an occupational therapist and clinical practice lead for assistive technology at the Glenrose. “Patients wear a headset which can detect brain-activity patterns — and BCI converts these patterns into commands to control devices.” Tuck is quick to point out that BCI cannot read anyone's mind. It merely taps into the little electronic spikes in our brain that we all have every day to activate a computer signal. “BCI is an emerging technology. It’s exciting to see what research opportunities here could lead to real-world applications to help Tristin go farther, more independently and safely.” The BCI program is a clinical and research program in partnership with the University of Alberta, with funding thanks to donor support, from the Glenrose Hospital Foundation. Continue reading this groundbreaking story at <insert link>

When it opened 43 years ago today, the Tom Baker Cancer Centre (TBCC) was the premier destination for cancer care in Calgary and southern Alberta. Caring and compassionate like its namesake, Tom Baker, an advocate for cancer research and treatment, the facility was a state-of-the-art centre for prevention, research, and treatment programs. Since 1981, it has become internationally renowned, drawing medical professionals to the city for oncology research and treatment. That legacy, along with the Holy Cross Centre, has been passed to the new Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre, which is set to begin welcoming patients and staff on October 28.