Public Health nurse earns Étoile Santé
The P.E.I. French Health Network recently named nurse Andrea Bernard as the Étoile Santé in the campaign to promote and recruit health professionals who offer French-language services. Bernard recently accepted a public health nurse position in West Prince, making her the only francophone public health nurse in the area.
From her office at Community Hospital, O’Leary, she serves Alberton and surrounding areas.
“I really like this type of work. When I was in Grade 10 at École Évangéline, I already knew I wanted to work with babies. That’s why I became a nurse.
I obtained my diploma from the University of P.E.I. in 2005. I worked in pediatrics and maternity, and I was also part of the float team at Prince County Hospital for a year. “Then I moved to western Canada with my husband, Damien Arsenault. I worked in British Columbia for a year and in Alberta for four years.”
After a few years in the western part of the country, the couple had the urge to move back to Prince Edward Island. “I worked as a public health nurse in Prince County and a registered nurse at Stewart Memorial in Tyne Valley. After that, I taught the Practical Nursing program at Collège de l’Île.”
Besides working with young families, Bernard holds immunization clinics and child development assessment clinics. She also offers school health services, facilitates communicable disease followups, and performs various other tasks, all related to public health.
Bernard is bilingual and likes speaking French as part of her work.
“I know from experience that it’s important to be able to speak one’s own language when talking about our health. I don’t hesitate to offer Frenchlanguage services when I think a client speaks French. That’s how we meet a client’s needs and offer client-centered services,” she added. Anyone can nominate health professionals who actively offer French language health services in P.E.I. for a chance to win $500. For more information on the Étoile Santé campaign or to nominate someone directly on the PEIFHN’s website, go to www.santeipe.ca.