Name: Kelly Monks (she/her/hers)
Job Title: Registered Nurse, Emergency
Length of Service: Six months
Worksite: Kelowna General Hospital
Community: Kelowna
Ancestral Territory: syilx
Born in South Africa, raised in Florida and England, and now serving as a registered nurse (RN) at Kelowna General Hospital’s (KGH) emergency department, Kelly Monks’s journey is nothing short of extraordinary.
“Growing up across South Africa, Florida and England, I never developed a strong sense of identity tied to a specific place,” she shares. “Rather, repeatedly feeling out of place made me adaptable and perceptive of others.”
In her work, Kelly emphasizes the importance of human connection. She believes that building relationships with colleagues and patients reminds us that we all have something in common.
“As health-care workers, we’re familiar with the clinical environment and its language; however, it can be alienating for patients. Communication is key and I try to ensure that those I care for have what they need to feel heard and understand what is going on.”
For Kelly, reconciliation is recognizing that everyone has past experiences that inform who they are today and being aware that we, too, carry our own experiences with us daily.
“It’s finding a common respect and working in partnership for better care and better futures,” she says.
