Staff Spotlight
Caroline Frankfurter, Registered Nurse
Meet Caroline, a registered nurse at G.F Strong helping patients regain their potential and independence.
Continuing with our Year of the Nurse staff profiles is Caroline, a registered nurse working at G.F. Strong. She joined Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) last June and currently works on three units- Spinal Cord Injuries, Acquired Brain Injuries, and Neuromuscular Injuries.
“The patients that I provide care for drastically vary in backgrounds and diagnoses from transplants to trauma, to cancer to burns,” she explains. “Developing that close relationship with patients in a rehab setting and seeing their transformation from day one of admission to their discharge date is what I love most about my job.”
Alignment with the VCH Values
As a registered nurse, Caroline continuously cares for her patients in alignment to the VCH Values (We Care for Everyone, We are Always Learning and We Strive for Better Results). “Learning is something I do on the daily basis by balancing my completion of the Master of Science in Nursing program at UBC along with patient education when I am working on the unit,” she says. “I enjoy being able to translate the knowledge and research to my clients and providing them with the necessary education to help them attain their greater potential and independence. In every patient encounter, I put in 110% effort to strive for a therapeutic nurse-patient relationship.”
In addition, Caroline is also the Clinical Lead on the Spinal Cord Injury Unit. “In this role alongside my team, we help initiate team-based quality improvement projects on the unit to address any concerns that may arise from staff and/or clients,” she says. “I have the wonderful opportunity to collaborate with other units at Vancouver General Hospital in implementing different projects to improve our day-to-day workplaces.”
Enjoying life on the west coast
Caroline moved to Vancouver from Ontario last summer as a new grad nurse. “Upon completion of the NCLEX exam, I started my career as a RN in the beautiful city of Vancouver,” she says. “While it was quite challenging to start a whole brand new life without the presence of my friends and family close by anymore, I am so glad for all the opportunities I have been presented with since joining VCH!”
Caroline has adapted well to the west coast lifestyle, fully enjoying our city’s beautiful mountains and surrounding areas. “Last summer, I challenged myself to hike the Chief in Squamish at least once a week. I’ve developed a passion for rock climbing, skiing, and cycle commuting since I relocated here.”
Join our team
Explore the current career opportunities for Nurses at Vancouver Coastal Health.