Sarah Giroux (née Theriault, BN’10) says that the first time she realized the depth of her commitment to mental health nursing was working at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital (DECRH) in Fredericton. “I was always kind of interested, and then when I got the position in Fredericton, it really grew that interest, working with a high percentage of patients who were psychotic, schizophrenic, paranoid and depressed. Seeing them on a first-hand basis, as their first point of contact when they entered that emergency room.” 

Sarah attended UNB twice, first in 1996 to 1998, trying out kinesiology and finding it wasn’t for her (she did live in Tibbits Hall and still has some lifelong friends from that experience). She returned to Ottawa and earned a diploma in nursing to start her career, and then went on to UNB for her BN. After working at Chalmers Hospital, she moved back to Eastern Ontario, where she worked as a nurse at the jail in Brockville, Ont., and then as manager for the secure treatment unit that serves the jail at Royal Ottawa Hospital, also in Brockville. Today, she works as a nurse educator at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).

At UNB, Sarah took the RN to BN program and worked alongside a lot of instructors as coworkers, a positive experience. “It was really nice to connect what I was seeing as a new nurse with the world of university and learning,” she says, recalling that she would have many interesting conversations with colleagues about how to improve the health care system. “I look back with pride as UNB really helped shape the vision I have now about serving marginalized populations. Individuals who might not have the best of circumstances, and how we can help them get the best out of life, out of what they're dealing with.”

In her current role as clinical nurse educator at CHEO, Sarah oversees a 22-bed unit plus corporate team, onboarding new staff, ensuring they are certified and prepared for their jobs. “My role here is really ensuring that our staff have the adequate knowledge, skills, judgment, education they need so they can provide the best care possible to our patients and families.”

In practical terms, that means training everyone from health care aides to nurses to child youth counsellors, upwards of 100 staff. “I educate nurses from the point of showing up on the unit just out of the university, to the point of retirement.” Topics include everything from IV treatment to unconscious bias. Learning formats require flexibility to serve learners who are also working, so can be on zoom calls to in-person simulations and roleplay.

In 2022, Sarah co-led the implementation of “UK Safety Pods” at CHEO — the first hospital in North America to adopt this new trauma-informed approach that reduces the need for ground restraints in pediatric care. The initiative has since expanded nationally.

As a mental health worker in a time when perspectives and stigma around mental health are beginning to shift, Sarah has witnessed some of those changes firsthand. “I think the biggest change is the acceptance of mental health. We're seeing more that families and individuals are open to learning more. They're open to taking medication and even having frank conversations around ‘what does this mean? How is this going to impact our family, and what can we do proactively to help with that?’”

Having moved from working mostly with adults to working with children and their families, Sarah says she has noticed that acknowledging mental health issues earlier can have a positive effect.

“I think the biggest difference was how early intervention can change that trajectory, to change that path that they're on.”

"If we can get in early and get them the supports, the coping strategies, what they need early, we get in as a touch point. How can we help now, as opposed to so much later? And then just also ensuring that we're looking at them in that holistic lens.” While CHEO serves patients up to the age of 18, Sarah says the median age is around 11 or 12.

As a mental health worker, Sarah is also aware of taking care of her own mental health and says she has a good support system around her, both at work and at home. “I make sure that, you know, when I step out of work, I really am conscious of leaving work at work, so my family time at home is my family time, which I really enjoy.” Sarah and her husband recently went with their two children, ages 18 and 10, on a road trip that took them through Fredericton, where she pointed out where mom earned her nursing degree.

While Sarah says she doesn’t always hear directly from clients about how her support helped, she sometimes will see them in the community and knows she’s made a difference. “You see them out at the grocery store and they smile, or at a local concert or a hockey game, and they just kind of give you the nod. It's really nice to see. It's rewarding. It's fulfilling to see them, and they just kind of glance, and you’re like, ‘wow, that feels really good. It kind of fills your cup. Helps with the self-care.’”