Success Stories

Lindsay Johnson is a married 35-year-old mother to a blended family. Three teenage children (18, and 14-year-old twins) and two teenage stepchildren (18-years-old, and 14-years-old). It was early on in life that she knew she wanted to pursue a career in nursing to serve her Indigenous community.

At 16-years-old, Lindsay became pregnant with her first child which forced her to drop out of high school. Lindsay’s determination did not let this stop her from pursuing her employment goals. She was first introduced to GREAT through the Summer Student Program.

Through this program she attained a placement at De dwa da dehs nye>s Aboriginal Health Centre. Being pregnant and unable to return to school that fall, she was hired on temporarily and allowed time to complete her studies. Eventually she was hired full-time in a Medical Administration role and was employed in the position for 16 years. During this time, she discovered her passion for Indigenous health, and advocating for change. Lindsay always wanted to further her education but was hesitant about committing to a full-time program. Despite her doubts, she took a leap of faith and decided to enroll in nursing full-time with the support of her husband and family. She realized in her role that there was no opportunity for growth or the ability to service her community at a greater capacity without furthering her education.

With help from GREAT, she was accepted into the Registered Practical Nursing Program which she completed in December 2019.

Lindsay is now employed at the Norfolk General Hospital in Simcoe working in the COVID Assessment Centre. Since becoming a Licensed RPN, Lindsay has worked throughout the Six Nations community with CarePartners First Nations Nursing as well as the Six Nations COVID Assessment Centre.  Lindsay will continue to utilize GREAT’s services to enhance her skills with a special interest in diabetic services for the Indigenous community. She has completed a blood collection certificate and is currently enrolled in Basic and Advanced Foot Care with the College of Health Studies in Brampton, ON.

“Going forward, I am dedicated to professional growth and my commitment is to service my own community as well as contribute to Indigenous representation within the health care system.”

Lindsay Johnson

When asked what advice she had for others on the fence about pursing their employment goals Lindsay said,

“Bills will always be there and there will always be reasons why you can’t do something, but you just need to take a chance. It’s not going to be easy, but it will always be worth it in the end.”

Employer Quote

“Lindsay’s journey with De dwa da dehs nye>s began while she was in her teenage years when she joined our Health Centre as a summer student.  She continued to pursue learning and training opportunities that could support her professional and personal development. From her younger years as a teenager, she continued to focus on her life goals. We were able to witness Lindsay’s transition from a summer student, to a full-time

employee, becoming a mom to her children, marrying her best-friend, owning her own home, and her vision of becoming a nurse. In each of Lindsay’s professional roles at our Health Centre her strength was providing relationship-based services and support.  Lindsay is an advocate for Indigenous Health and is dedicated to the community we serve.  We are happy we were able to support and share in Lindsay’s journey and vision of becoming an Indigenous Nurse.”