News

Karen Hall is still pinching herself. The VON licensed practical nurse in Nova Scotia has been named 2026 Internationally Educated Nurse of the Year, and the recognition has left her proud and humbled.

“It was shocking, because I honestly was not expecting it,” Karen says. “I know what the journey has been like for me. I’m just humbled, in all honesty, to be receiving this award.”

For Karen, the award—given by the Nova Scotia Internationally Educated Nurses Network (NSIENN)—reflects her growth, resilience and commitment to making sure everyone around her feels welcome.

Congratulations have poured in since the news was announced, and Karen was thrilled to receive personal congratulations from VON President and CEO Jo-Anne Poirier.

“Sometimes you don’t see yourself, but others see you,” she says. “It’s them seeing you that makes a difference.” The award acknowledges exceptional leadership, dedication, professional excellence and contributions to client care.

Karen began her nursing career in Jamaica as a licensed practical nurse. After moving to Canada in 2013, she started out as a continuing care assistant in home care while she worked through the challenges many internationally educated nurses face, from having no Canadian references to learning a new healthcare system.

Karen returned to nursing in 2017, starting in long-term care. But she missed the connection she’d felt in home care, so she set her sights on VON. Her first application wasn’t successful, but she didn’t give up. One Saturday, she sat down and applied for six open positions. She was interviewed again and, as she puts it, the rest is history.

Over the years, Karen has built experience in community nursing, long-term care, acute care and pediatrics. Looking back, she is grateful for the years she has spent with VON since walking through the doors on August 13, 2018. “I am thankful for the experiences, relationships, opportunities, and the many people who have been part of my journey thus far,” she says. Those connections and experiences have helped shape both her career and her commitment to supporting others in the profession.

Answering the call during COVID-19

One of Karen’s proudest moments at VON came during a COVID-19 outbreak at a Nova Scotia nursing home. When VON asked for nurses to help, she was quick to volunteer.

Late one evening, she got a message from the director of VON’s Halifax site asking if she was available. She said yes and arrived at the facility around 2 a.m. to relieve another volunteer nurse. “It’s all-hands-on-deck,” Karen says. “Where are these residents going to go? I was bringing hope to those individuals and letting them see that all is not lost.”

She volunteered at the home for about a month. In March 2021, the Clayton Park Wire recognized her as a Community Hero.

Today, what Karen loves most about her work is bringing hope.

“When you step into someone’s home, you don’t know what you’re stepping into,” she says. “You might be that one person who makes the difference in that individual’s life.”

She finds joy in watching a difficult wound finally heal, in precepting new nurses and students as they grow, and in keeping spirits high for colleagues and clients at the clinic. She also values how VON nurses support each other. Community nurses often work on their own, but Karen says her colleagues are always just a phone call, text or email away.

Making others feel they belong is at the heart of everything she does. “I know what it’s like to not feel as if I belong,” she says. “So I always make sure new hires, students and even the nurses themselves feel like they belong.”

Advice for internationally educated nurses

Karen’s advice to other internationally educated nurses is simple: don’t underestimate what you bring to the table.

“A nurse is always going to be a nurse,” she says. “The system is different and the culture is different, but your knowledge and your skills never change.”

She encourages nurses who are new to Canada to ask lots of questions, build their networks, learn about the culture of the healthcare system and be confident in their abilities.

Karen has a favourite line from Maya Angelou: “When you get, give. When you learn, teach.” It’s a motto she lives by as she mentors, supports and advocates for the nurses coming up behind her.

She’s proud of how far she’s come — a “little country girl from Jamaica,” as she puts it, who came to Canada and became an award-winning nurse. Most of all, she hopes others will follow her through the doors she’s helping to open.

Inspired by Karen's story? Learn more about nursing careers at VON: von.ca/careers