Arctic Radio spoke to a recent graduate nurse originally from northern Manitoba to talk about her experience working during the pandemic.

Jaymie Bowers, who attended school and worked at a clinic in Winnipeg for psychiatric nursing, says working during the pandemic was a steep learning curve for her, especially considering she was a student.

Bowers explains that she had to adapt quickly to meet the emerging needs of the community regarding mental health, such as anxiety, depression, and social isolation.

Bowers decided to go into psychiatric nursing because she noticed a major gap in mental health care in Indigenous peoples in her community growing up.

She hopes that by speaking out about the importance of psychiatric nursing in Indigenous communities, she can inspire more young Indigenous people to pursue health care careers.