We Are IH: Nursing unit clerk has always enjoyed providing care
Name: Debbie French (she/her/hers)
Job Title: Nursing Unit Clerk
Years of Service: 21
Worksite: East Kootenay Chronic Kidney Disease Clinic
Community: Cranbrook
Ancestral Territory: Ktunaxa Nation
Favourite Quote / Advice to Live By: Work hard, be nice, eat tacos.
Debbie French is a nursing unit clerk at the East Kootenay Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Clinic in Cranbrook. She enjoys working with people and helping them fulfill their kidney health needs. She describes herself as hard working and loyal, both on the job and in her personal life. She admits she can also be “fiercely protective” as well with friends and family.
Learn more about her journey with IH
Debbie actually began her health-care career as a dental assistant. “I was always interested in caring for people,” says Debbie. “I am just like that.”
She has trained in multiple departments at Interior Health (IH), and she has worked in all kinds of roles: she went from care aid to unit clerk, and then from lab assistant to operating room booking clerk. Ten years ago, she landed her current, and favourite, position.
This is where I found my true happiness. I work with an amazing group of people. The work we do as a team has such an impact on the patient’s overall health.
Daily, Debbie aims to keep her unit organized and the patients happy by keeping track of appointments. She performs a wide variety of tasks, which may include anything from issuing lab requisitions, to organizing ultrasounds and other imaging tests.
Debbie’s home life keeps her busy. “I have two amazing kids – who are young adults now – and two beautiful Labradors, who I really consider my children,” she says. Her son, Evan, recently completed emergency response training. “He is my inspiration,” adds Debbie, who looks forward to seeing where his career journey takes him.
Outside of work, you’ll often find Debbie spending time at any and all of the lakes that dot the B.C. Interior. The entire family kayaks, camps and loves being in the outdoors together.
“We had a spot at Moyie Lake for 13 years,” says Debbie. “It was time for a change and a new adventures, so we sold the property," she says. "Now we explore surrounding lakes and trails.”
Photography is also one of Debbie’s passions. “It’s more than a hobby to me," explains Debbie. "It’s something I’ve become really good at ever since I started taking baby photos of my first child.”
The camera is Debbie’s friend in more ways than one: she admits that she’s a lot older than she looks in photos!
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