From her first clinical experiences as a nursing student, Kelsey Swank, Bachelor of Science in Nursing ’18, knew acute care nursing probably wasn’t for her.

“When I was on the units, I was always getting into trouble for talking to patients too long – chatting them up and asking all kinds of questions,” says the 2025 Emerging Leader Award honoree. “But I always felt like there was a nursing role out there for me.”

Something clicked when a nurse who worked for the federal government in a First Nations community visited one of her fourth-year classes to speak about the cultural aspect of community nursing and getting to know entire families. Swank’s request to complete her final clinical experience with the Paul First Nation created a new pathway for MacEwan students.

“I was out in the community meeting people where they were at – in their schools, in their homes, at powwows and events – and talking about their health,” says Swank.

Getting to know Elders, learning about traditional medicine and seeing the power of community in healing changed the way she felt about nursing.

“On a hospital unit, we ran things by the nurse in charge, but in community, we ran everything by an Elder,” she says. “I loved how they welcomed me and shared their holistic approach. It felt more like a home.”

A year and a half later, when it was time to leave Paul Band, Swank brought everything she learned to the Indigenous Wellness Clinic at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, launching a new initiative focused on teaching culturally safe harm reduction strategies in response to the opioid crisis. Today, as an Indigenous cancer patient navigator at the Cross Cancer Institute, she focuses on easing the path for patients who are already dealing with so much.

“The primary goal is obviously to get people through their cancer treatments, and that involves meeting people where they’re at, getting support and resources, travel accommodations and blending traditional and Western medicine.”

It’s also about making sure health-care providers understand where patients are coming from.

“When I first started, I would hear quick judgments and passing comments like, ‘People don’t care about their health because they don’t come to their appointments,’ but it’s not that simple,” she explains.

A 7 a.m. appointment at the Cross might be next-to-impossible for a mother of four who lives six hours away. A patient from a remote part of the Northwest Territories might need to take a snowmobile, boat and three planes to get there – and be far from their families and support systems for months. Patients can’t confirm appointments if they don’t have cell phone minutes. And a patient whose family members have had negative experiences with health-care providers in the past may be hesitant about having chemo or radiation, explains Swank.

“Patients have shared these things with me while we sit together waiting for treatment, and their stories become part of my practice. When I hear comments and biases from health-care providers, I find appropriate ways to push back. Is there a reason the patient doesn’t trust us? Have we asked them if they need help with travel, accommodation, child care or finances?”

It’s not that patients don’t care about treatment, explains Swank; it’s that there are a lot of barriers to overcome. That’s why drawing attention to those barriers and finding ways to break them down is so important.

“If we don’t speak up, we don’t see change. Challenging others can be scary, but it makes a difference. People can change. I’ve seen it.”

Systems can change, too. “I’m seeing cultural support for cancer patients, I’m seeing compassionate admissions for our unhoused patients and people who are struggling to finish their treatments – that can be the difference between someone’s cancer being curable and incurable. It comes down to saving lives.”

And people – and health-care systems – are noticing. “Other provinces are reaching out, wanting to practice how we practice and to base their Indigenous cancer patient navigator programs on ours. I’m really proud of that. We’re doing good work.”

So, when she has the chance, she takes on nursing students, hoping to help them also see the value and importance of meeting people where they’re at. She talks to the students about culture, smudging and how the history and legacy of residential schools and the Sixties Scoop find their way into nursing. She shares stories of patient interactions. She encourages those students to ensure their patients feel respected and honoured, regardless of where they find themselves in the health-care system.

“I can’t tell you the number of days that have ended in tears and the times that I wanted to give up,” says Swank. “It isn’t easy, but I know I’m good at advocating, and I don’t think I could do a job where I didn’t feel like I was making an impact. I hope being recognized with this award might mean more people will want to go in this direction, too.”