“Forming unforgettable relationships with patients, families, and other nurses and physicians is an incredibly special part of nursing.”

Hope Kearns '10
Registered Nurse, The Hospital for Sick Children
B.Sc., Queen's University
B.Sc.N., University of Toronto

Hope has long been fascinated by the human body. In her Grade 12 year at Greenwood, she considered how she could turn this fascination into a vocation.

“I wanted a career that connected me with people from all walks of life (primarily children), challenged me intellectually and emotionally, and involved working with the human body,” Hope says. These three goals led her to nursing.

Hope has found lots to like about her chosen career. “Nursing keeps me busy all day,” she says. “While I often leave the hospital exhausted, I love that I’ve been challenged and have had meaningful conversations with patients and colleagues.”

Hope constantly feels the impact Greenwood had on her. “Without encouragement from teachers and those incredible outdoor education experiences, I would not be the adult I am today,” she says.

In the fall of 2016, Hope realized her dream: she started working as an RN on the Multi-Organ Transplant Unit at SickKids.

She knows the job has drawbacks, but they’re more than balanced out by the positives. “The long hours, night shifts and emotional exhaustion you feel after losing or saying goodbye to a patient can be tremendously challenging,” she says. “But at the end of the day, forming unforgettable relationships with patients, families, and other nurses and physicians is an incredibly special part of nursing.”