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Marcia Porter

It’s not exactly like being a rock star, but working as a young registered nurse at the Bonavista Peninsula Health Centre comes with name recognition!

“It’s amazing that almost everyone knows you by your first name,” said Luke Redmond who moved to Bonavista from St. John’s last spring, following graduation from ������Ƶ’s Bachelor of Nursing (BN) (Collaborative) program.

 “On one of my first shifts I got paged to pick up a call from a patient,” he said. “They wanted to speak with the ‘male nurse who lives on Red Point Road.’”

It made him laugh, and also appreciate the significance of working in a community hospital.

Bonavista Mayor Betty Fitzgerald loves these stories, and she’s proud of her community’s reputation.

 “We welcome everybody,” said Mayor Fitzgerald who has served on her town council for 25 years, the past 17 as mayor.

 “It’s good to have new people coming into the community. It’s good for the economy. We have a long-term care facility, a senior’s home and a hospital, and we have people employed in all three places,” she said. “They are spending their money here, they are volunteering here…they do unbelievable work in the community.”

In short, Luke and other young health professionals are contributing to the economic and social development of the community.

Mayor Fitzgerald hasn’t met Mr. Redmond yet, but she did wonder if he might have been the young man who came up to her at an event recently and, “asked to dance with the mayor.”

Dance she did, even with her broken ankle!

When the mayor receives calls from people interested in moving to the community, and she often receives calls, especially from older people wanting to retire to the area, they quiz her about the services and resources available in the area.

“They’ll ask if we have a hospital, and I’ll tell them, ‘Yes, we have really good nurses, doctors and great staff.’”

Access to health care is near the top of the list, but they are also impressed with the town’s recreational facilities that include a soccer field, a basketball and tennis court beautiful soccer field, and a playground. The local ballfield is getting a major facelift this spring, and town officials are looking at having a splash mark in the not too distant future

 As a nursing student, Mr. Redmond spent several weeks working in Bonavista on a clinical placement. The skill level and professionalism of his nursing colleagues, and their collegial, friendly relationships with hospital staff impressed him. He felt right at home.

 He remembered that upbeat, positive work environment, and the breadth of experience that comes with rural nursing when he was offered a full-time position at the Bonavista Peninsula Health Care Centre.

Settled in Bonavista for the past few months now, he would definitely recommend the experience and the lifestyle to other new graduates.

“The hospital is at the core of the community,” said Mr. Redmond, who threw a party recently and invited a bunch of friends over to help him celebrate his new permanent status. “It’s not uncommon at all for people to come up to you (at the supermarket or if I’m out for a walk) and say hello or start a conversation.

 It gives you a more holistic view of health care. ”

 “People take care of each other and support each other,” said Mayor Fitzgerald. “We have so much potential here.”