Kayla's Story: Overcoming Challenges and Pursuing Excellence in Health Care

For Kayla Bjornson, the journey to becoming a nurse was filled with unexpected challenges, personal loss, and resilience. Now a practical nurse at the High Prairie Health Complex, she has navigated program changes, relocation, and demanding coursework, all while balancing work and family life.

Kayla’s interest in health care began in high school, where she participated in the Alberta Health Services High School First Responders Program. This led her to enrol in the Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) program at Northern Lakes College in 2017. In 2019, she enrolled in the Primary Care Paramedic (PCP) program at the Northern Lakes College campus in Slave Lake. “It was set up really well—three weeks online and one week in person, so I could still work,” she says. At the time, she was employed as an advanced first aider in the oil field industry, gaining hands-on experience.

After working as a PCP for three years, Kayla sought more stability and decided to pursue practical nursing. “Paramedic shifts are 12-hour days, and the constant rotating night and day shifts just aren’t great for family life,” she admits. “Balancing work and home is tough, and it makes it really hard to spend quality time with my loved ones. Managing everything with these demanding hours can be a real challenge, so I wanted to find a Monday to Friday, eight-hour schedule, so I went back to school to make that happen.”

But Kayla’s transition to nursing was met with heartbreaking personal challenges. “I started my first year of the Practical Nurse program in Peace River, but during my practicum, my mom passed away,” she shares. “I had about three shifts left to complete the practicum when it happened. It was devastating.”

Adding to her grief, six months later Kayla also lost her uncle unexpectedly, and she had already lost her other uncle to COVID-19 just six months before that. “I tried to go back full time, but it was too stressful. I was having anxiety and struggling to keep up. I decided to reduce my course load and spread it out over the next year to give myself time to grieve and still stay on track.”

Throughout this difficult period, Kayla found unwavering support from NLC staff, particularly Amanda and Jennifer. “Jennifer called to check on my courses and was so supportive. She told me, ‘Kayla, school will still be here next year. If you need to take a step back, we’ll figure it out.’ That really helped me through.”

With her instructors’ encouragement, Kayla completed the program and passed her nursing exam in 2024. She now works at the High Prairie Health Complex, where she started in acute care and is currently training for a position in the emergency department. “I am finished the extra education and will be getting my orientation for the ER soon. I’m hoping more positions open up,” she reports. “There aren’t many opportunities right now, but I’m keeping my eyes open. I’m hoping for more opportunities in the medical clinic or public health”.

Looking back on her time at Northern Lakes College, Kayla values the friendships and support system she built. “The Practical Nurse program is tough, and we went through a lot together. We had a big group chat, and even now that we’re working, we still check in on each other.”

Her advice to future nursing students is simple but heartfelt: “Hang in there. Practicum is tough, but once you’re working, it does get easier.”

Through resilience, adaptability, and a passion for patient care, Kayla has forged a career that not only provides stability but also fulfills her deep commitment to health care. From paramedicine to nursing, her journey exemplifies the power of perseverance and the strength of the human spirit.