Meadow Park Chatham RPN Mandy Leveille is seen here during a recent nursing career fair at the University of Windsor.

Home’s staff engages nursing students in LTC career possibilities
Team members spread valuable, first-hand information about working in LTC
Monday May 7, 2012 -- Deron Hamel
Meadow Park Chatham recently showed the home’s support for long-term care nursing by sending two team members to a nursing career fair at the University of Windsor.

Resident and family services co-ordinator Lydia Swant and registered practical nurse and recent nursing initiative graduate Mandy Leveille attended the event, which brought nursing students together to learn about potential careers.

During the event, the pair spoke with nursing students about the opportunities and possibilities that come with working in the long-term care sector. Their mission fit in with the event’s mandate.

“Graduates trained to incorporate the core values of the art and science of nursing, education, leadership, and research into their professional practice were invited to attend the event,” explains Joshua Pfaff, vice-president of the Nursing Society at the University of Windsor in a written statement.

Swant says it was important to have Leveille on hand because she was able to provide valuable, first-hand information about not only nursing as a career but also nursing inside a long-term care home.

By sending Swant and Leveille to the event the Jarlette Health Services home’s aim was to send the message that long-term care is an exciting, challenging and fast-paced career for nurses, says Swant.

She describes the fair’s attendees as “a group of energetic individuals excited about the nursing field.” 

“The students were professional and took a keen interest in the information the exhibitors had to offer,” she says.

“It was very impressive and reassuring to see such an enthusiastic interest in the long-term care sector.”

The event was also an opportunity to dispel myths about working in long-term care. Swant says she and Leveille shared the message that with the increasing complexity of care in homes, there is an increase of opportunities for nurses to enhance skills and embrace technology.

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