Celebrating Nurses Week: Jain’s Journey of Resilience, Innovation, and Leadership
May 15, 2025 | By Park Place Seniors Living |
During National Nursing Week this year, we’re taking time to recognise the incredible contributions of nurses in our Park Place community, not just for the care they provide, but for the leadership, innovation, and resilience they bring to our healthcare system. We’re spotlighting some of the remarkable individuals who make a difference every day, in ways both seen and unseen.
Today, we’re sharing Jain’s story, a nurse whose journey from southern India to BC speaks to perseverance, adaptability, and the power of looking at challenges as opportunities to lead.
When Jain first chose nursing as a career path in southern India, it was a practical decision — nursing offered good job prospects, and it’s a common profession in his region of Kerala. But once he began working as a cardiac nurse, supporting both pediatric and adult patients, something shifted. When he saw patients suffering, he wanted to give them relief. “There’s no better sense of satisfaction than knowing you’ve helped someone without expecting anything in return,” he says.
That mindset — to help, without expectation — would carry Jain through a long and difficult transition to nursing in Canada.
A Complex Path to Practice
Jain immigrated to Canada in 2012, following the path of his sister who had made the move several years earlier and was already working as a nurse. Her positive experience in the field reassured him, as he had an idea of what to expect and what opportunities might await.
But even with that insight, the reality was challenging. The credentialing process was slow and complicated. Jain had to wait months for his qualifications to be assessed. He was asked to participate in a clinical simulation where a person acted as a patient, and he was expected to demonstrate clinical skills based on a script – a process that seemed more like an audition than an assessment of skills. After that, he had to complete additional coursework and clinical practice hours. With only four BC hospitals offering placements, he waited over 16 months to complete the necessary requirements.
Eventually, Jain was able to begin working as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) and later, after several more years of effort, earned his Registered Nurse (RN) license. It took five years to get back to the level he had already been practising at in India.
Embracing New Opportunities
Jain initially planned to continue his cardiac nursing work in Canada, but the opportunity to work in long-term care came up instead, so he took it. “Working with seniors was different, and I found myself really enjoying it,” he says.
Jain didn’t set out to be a leader when he started in his long-term care position, but one day, a senior team member approached him and asked if he’d consider stepping into the Director of Care role. Open to the opportunity, Jain decided to take on the challenge. That experience eventually led him to his current position as a Quality Consultant & Informatics Lead, a senior, non-clinical role that blends his nursing expertise with a passion for technology and data.
In this role, Jain helps develop and streamline quality improvement processes across multiple care sites. He builds tools using Microsoft Power Apps, automates formerly manual systems, and ensures teams can collect and share data more effectively, all of which helps support better resident outcomes. “I don’t have formal tech training,” he notes. “But with the help of AI, you don’t need to be a programmer to make a big impact.”
Leading With Innovation and Compassion
One of Jain’s proudest accomplishments was the implementation of a program called STEPS — Short-Term Enablement and Planning Suites. The program provides temporary care for patients who are stuck in the hospital with no discharge plan.
“There was nothing like it in the province at the time,” Jain says. When Island Health Authority approached Sunridge Place Seniors Community in Duncan, he proposed using eight beds to pilot the program, working with his team to set up new processes from scratch. Despite some initial hesitancy, Jain’s leadership helped make the program a success. It not only grew at his own site, but also became a model for similar programs across other care homes. After one year, it received a CCHS Quality Award for Best Innovative Program in Canada. “I’m proud that I could help fill a gap in the system,” he says.
Seeing the System from Both Sides
Jain’s insight into the gaps in Canada’s healthcare system doesn’t just come from his own experience – his wife, also a nurse, went through the credentialing process more recently. She moved to a different province temporarily in order to move forward due to processing challenges in BC. Even with some recent changes that aim to ease entry for internationally trained nurses, the system remains tough to navigate, particularly across provinces.
Jain and his wife had to stagger their licensing journeys due to financial constraints. With three sons, they couldn’t afford to both stop working at the same time. “There should be more support,” Jain says. “You need hands-on experience to learn, ideally working under an experienced nurse. It should be more of an adaptation process, not just assessments.”
Advice for the Next Generation
Jain’s message to internationally trained nurses? Don’t give up. He acknowledged that while the path to becoming a nurse in Canada is still complex, especially in BC, where the process tends to be more demanding than in other provinces, there are growing opportunities due to the nursing shortage.
One of the biggest differences he’s experienced is the autonomy Canadian nurses have. In India, nurses typically follow physicians’ orders. “Here, you’re the spokesperson for the patient,” Jain explains. That independence, he says, allows nurses to grow and develop their skills in meaningful ways.
At first, Jain thought he would always be a floor nurse. But over time, he realized the Canadian system offers more than that. “If you have the motivation, you can expand your career in so many ways,” he says. “There are so many leadership opportunities and different ways to specialize. Once you’re in, you can do a lot and really contribute.”
His own story is proof. What began as a job opportunity became a meaningful career, and now, a mission to improve the system. By pairing compassion with innovation, Jain is helping make care better for patients and providers alike.
Celebrating the Impact of Nurse Leaders Like Jain
This Nurses Week, we celebrate Jain and every nurse like him, who not only provides care with compassion, but also leads with vision, determination, and heart. Jain’s journey reminds us that nursing is more than a profession; it’s a calling shaped by resilience, innovation, and a deep commitment to improving lives. From the bedside to the boardroom, nurses play a vital role in shaping the future of healthcare. Thank you, Jain, for everything you’ve done to lead by example and inspire change. And to all nurses across our Park Place communities, thank you for the care you give, the challenges you meet, and the difference you make every single day.
