A passion for helping

Dalhousie Student Health Service’s newest recruit has traded the West Coast for East, and sun and sand for snow and ice, but she’s excited to be promoting wellness and helping to improve the health of Dal students and the rest of the university community.

Nichole Helm joined Student Health Services (SHS) last September as an RN, but in February became the university’s first nurse practitioner on staff. Born in Utah and raised in San Diego, she studied nursing at the University of San Francisco, worked as an RN in an intensive care unit for two years, and then completed her MSc in nursing at Yale University in 2014. Her vocation came naturally: her mother is also a nurse.

“I’ve always enjoyed the idea of helping other people,” she says. “My mother never pushed me into nursing, but her caring nature made it an easy choice for me. Nursing is my passion, and I’m lucky to be able to mix my passion and my career.”

She followed her Canadian partner to Halifax, and was happy to find an opening at SHS—despite the change of climate.

“I was very interested in student health, especially since my educational background as an NP focused on pediatrics, adolescents, and young adults,” says Nichole. “Though it was personal reasons that brought me here, I feel lucky that I found a position that fulfills my passion and goals. That helps offset the cold winter…and spring!”

Interprofessional practice
 

As SHS’s nurse practitioner, Nichole’s primary role is to focus on the primary health care of students. When things slow down over the summer while most students are off campus, she plans to work closely and collaborate with other Student Services units, such as Student Health Promotion, and academic departments like nursing to create programs to better promote an overall idea of wellness within the Dalhousie community.

“Nichole will oversee clinical aspects of our mobile clinics and increase the accessibility of primary health care services across campus,” says Verity Turpin, executive director of student health and wellness. “Whenever we add another professional lens to the development of our programming, the end result is all the better for students.”

In particular, Nichole would like to work on fighting the stigma surrounding mental health and creating a positive community among students so more people are open to discussing mental health. She would also like to explore topics of sexual health, substance use, and sleep deprivation.

“Students can book an appointment with me for just about anything,” she says. “I deal with everything from mental health screenings and substance abuse screenings, to sexual health issues, birth control options, sleep problems, and regular physicals.”

With Nichole now working alongside the physicians and nurses at SHS, the clinic is expanding services such as same-day, non-urgent appointments, including time slots for patients needing simple prescription refills. And while she’s based in SHS’s offices in LeMarchant Place, she plans to be more accessible to students on Sexton Campus starting in the 2015–16 school year.

Student Health Services is open in the fall and winter (until the end of April), Monday to Thursday 8 a.m.–8 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.–7 p.m., with a physician on call for urgent issues Saturday to Sunday 11 a.m.–3 p.m. During the summer the clinic is open 8 a.m.–5 p.m. (with 11 a.m.–3 p.m. weekend on-call hours). Nichole also hopes to have evening clinics throughout the year. Check the website for updated hours of operation.