Walk a shift in her shoes…

May 29, 2025

Michelle Nielsen, registered nurse, stands beside an elderly patient who fell the night before. She shares a smile and offers comfort in what often feels like a cold and unfamiliar place for any patient visiting the ED. “You put yourself in their shoes, you look them in the eyes, you smile, and you want to understand what’s going on with them,” says Nielsen.

Michelle Nielsen, registered nurse, stands beside an elderly patient who fell the night before. She shares a smile and offers comfort in what often feels like a cold and unfamiliar place for any patient visiting the ED. “You put yourself in their shoes, you look them in the eyes, you smile, and you want to understand what’s going on with them,” says Nielsen. Photo by Leah Hennel.

Nielsen speaks with a patient while charting on a roving computer. She assesses them and, using protocols she orders labs based on their symptoms. By the time the physician arrives, some results are already in. The autonomy of ED nursing drew her to the role — working independently but always as part of a team with a shared goal: getting patients the care they need.

Nielsen speaks with a patient while charting on a roving computer. She assesses them and, using protocols she orders labs based on their symptoms. By the time the physician arrives, some results are already in. The autonomy of ED nursing drew her to the role — working independently but always as part of a team with a shared goal: getting patients the care they need. Photo by Leah Hennel.

A new patient arrives by EMS, Nielsen reviews critical details with the paramedic at the triage desk. This rapid exchange of information guides everything that follows, from where the patient goes next to how quickly they need to be seen.

A new patient arrives by EMS, Nielsen reviews critical details with the paramedic at the triage desk. This rapid exchange of information guides everything that follows, from where the patient goes next to how quickly they need to be seen. Photo by Leah Hennel.

Nielsen smiles as a patient heads down the hallway. In this world, everyone knows her family. Her father, a family physician; her mother an ICU nurse; and her sister, now her colleague, also an ED nurse. She credits her them equally for who she is and how far she’s come – proud to walk in their footsteps.

Nielsen smiles as a patient heads down the hallway. In this world, everyone knows her family. Her father, a family physician; her mother an ICU nurse; and her sister, now her colleague, also an ED nurse. She credits her them equally for who she is and how far she’s come – proud to walk in their footsteps. Photo by Leah Hennel.

A day with an emergency nurse reveals the pace, precision and teamwork it takes to keep care going

Story by Janine Poersch | Photos by Leah Hennel

CALGARY — Michelle Nielsen clocks in for her 12-hour shift in the buzzing Emergency Department (ED) at Peter Lougheed Centre. With a full waiting room and the unpredictability of walk-ins, EMS arrivals and triage lines — there’s no pausing.

This registered nurse moves through the ED with practised ease, checking monitors, adjusting settings, speaking with colleagues. Her first patient is an elderly woman who fell the night before and is hard of hearing.

Nielsen leans in and raises her voice to talk— not out of impatience, but to meet her where she is. The woman relaxes, knowing she’s been heard. For Nielsen, small accommodations like this help get to the root of the problem — fast.

Nielsen’s patient check-ins, often quicker than the coffee line-up downstairs, leave enough time to assess, intervene and move on. She completes orders, from labs to diagnostic tests, and sends samples up to the lab with the push of a button.

With each patient, she reminds herself of what it’s like to be in their shoes: surrounded by strangers, urgent footsteps, fragmented conversations and the uncertainty of what’s happening — or when they might go home.

On quieter days like today, she values the extra minute or so with each patient. Whenever she can, she creates a space that feels a little more private, a little less scary.

Nostalgia pulls her back to childhood dinner-table conversations where that instinct to listen, understand and empathize first took root. Her father was a family physician; her mother, an ICU nurse. Her older sister, also an emergency nurse, was the role model she looked up to. She grew up with stories that shaped her mindset and 18-year career in emergency care.

The squeak of shoes on the sterile floor pulls her back to the present. A paramedic rounds the corner with a patient inbound. Nielsen listens closely as they run through the critical details — vitals, age, events — anything to get a head start on diagnosis. As they speak, she maps out the patient’s path: how sick they are, what bed they’ll need, what care and how quickly. She asks more questions, makes swift decisions and sets a plan in motion.

Teamwork stands between chaos and function in the ED. Everyone’s focused on the same goal: getting patients the care they need, quickly and safely. Growing up playing sports, that kind of teamwork came naturally to Nielsen. The stakes are just higher here.

Behind the curtains, Nielsen and her colleagues face moments most people will never experience. What deepens the bond between them is knowing others have seen what you’ve seen and felt the same weight. On the hardest days, she can count on her long-time colleagues to show up, dig in and get through it together.

She checks her watch. It’s time for a break. In the few quiet moments alone, she calls her family — a small reset that brings her back to centre. Then it’s back to the pace, the noise and the work she’s never stopped choosing.