She/Her/They/Them
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Registered Nurse
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Professional Practice Leader for the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program for NS Health
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SANE-A certified
About Me
“You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will”
– Stephen King
Lawrencetown Beach. Credit: Larry LaRose, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Youth
I grew up, mostly in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, (home of Sydney Crosby). I've liked medical and crime science forever. My favourite TV shows when I was a kid were Emergency!, a rescue show about a pair of fire-medics; Quincy, M.E., a tenacious forensic pathologist whose investigations proved that many of his bodies were homicides; and investigative crime shows, which progressed to true crime.
The photo (left) is Lawrencetown Beach, where I spent a lot of time, along with myriad other beaches along the east coast. I got my first job at age 15 at the local summer pool as a front door attendant and water safety (swim) instructor. Little did I know, that job was the stepping stone on the path to the rest of my life. I became a lifeguard, a pool supervisor, a swim coach, lifeguard instructor, and a lifeguard instructor-trainer, and volunteered on several Royal Life Saving Society and Red Cross committees.
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While working full time, I put myself through school. I took a 3 year break at age 21 to co-coordinate the aquatic department at the Dartmouth Sportsplex, which had over 100 aquatic staff. I left to complete my BSc in Kinesiology and continued on to get a BSc in Health Education.
Looking back, I can see that my formative experiences were absolutely paramount in shaping and moulding me into the person I am today. I am deeply grateful for them and to the people who were instrumental in providing me the opportunites.
Fun Fact!
I used to babysit Robb Wells aka "Ricky" from the Trailer Park Boys.
Skip ahead a few years. I got married, we bought a small house, got a dog, had a baby girl, a boy, and then bought a bigger house.
Then my husband's office was moved and we had to move to the south shore of Nova Scotia.
It is a beautiful area, lots of nearby ocean beaches, and a small town was a great place for the kids to grow up. I got a job at the local women's centre as the program coordinator, doing a lot of sexual health education, and my job morphed into the Sexual Health Centre Executive Director. I developed a strong passion for sexual health. I really didn't realize how poorly educated youth are, and how uncomfortable and uneducated many adults are, including teachers, with discussing sexual health issues.
At age 7, my daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia. Enter a 2-year deep dive into the healthcare system from a parent/support perspective.
She is fine now aside from a
few treatment-related health
problems.
Life goes on!
Fun Fact!
We had 4 pet rats, Twizzler, Smarties, Skittles and Aero
Adult
Above: Lunenburg, NS; Below: Lahave River, Bridgewater, NS Photo Credit: Carol Rock-Altenhofhof
Chaos by George Frederic Watts and Assistants (ca. 1875). Public domain
Chaos
Kids are expensive. Hockey, baseball, fencing, synchronized swimming... My job was not fully funded for full time or year-round work. Options are few in small town rural Nova Scotia. So I decided, at age 44, to go back to school for nursing. My friends thought I was off my rocker. My partner was so supportive, taking on most of the household responsibilities while I drove an hour back & forth each day for four years. Almost 20 years after my first degrees, I can say it was definitely 'easier', learning with more life experience and exponentially better technology.
Soon after I graduated from nursing, my best friend/neighbour's 19 yr old son got Leukemia (not kidding) and died quickly. Our families had spent many holidays and vacations together so we were very close and that was a tough loss. A couple of months later, my mother, a retired nurse, died from the ALS she was diagnosed with 3 years prior. My husband's company closed and he lost his job. In September he started retraining full time at college. In October, he had some symptoms and was soon diagnosed with kidney cancer. He died 12 weeks later. My two best friends' marriages failed and they both moved out of province so my support system was gone. My hip got injured so I couldn't return to work. I had to sue the insurance company who wouldn't give me disability because the physicians couldn't diagnose what was wrong. That took three years and I almost lost my nursing license because of lack of hours. One of my children was not coping well with the loss of their father and grandmother.
It was a lot of loss, change, and stress in a very short time.
Silver Linings
I'm a believer that there is always something good that happens from a bad event, and to try to think positively:
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community held a fund raiser for us, which helped during my time off
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Becoming an RN. My annual salary was twice what it would have been had I stayed in my previous job.
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My amazing children who graduated high school with great marks despite all the hardship.
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a part time Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Coordinator job was advertised for my area and I got it.
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I wouldn't have enough hours to maintain my RN license at this point so my understanding boss allowed me to work extra hours each week so that I could reach the minimum required to get my license. I will be forever grateful to her.
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Why did I tell you all this? I believe that life experiences are important. They shape your perspective. Sometimes people think their one experience is the way it is all the time, for everyone. I have both insight into myself and the world to know this is not the case. As well, my experiences are unique to me. So are everyone's. We all see the world from differently tinted glasses and if we listen to each other, we can learn.
And things always get better. I have a career that I absolutely love. I'm taking a Masters course, which I've always wanted to do. Better late than never. I have a new partner.
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I enjoy rug hooking (the traditional type, famous in the Canadian Maritimes) and crafts. I'm a detailed person and a perfectionist. I'm trying to allow myself (and those around me who suffer my expectations) more slack. I'm a word nerd and love Wordle, Scrabble, Crosswords, etymology, etc. I love games: board and card games, puzzles, escape rooms, etc. I enjoy a good movie or show.
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S.A.N.E. was my dream job that I didn't know existed.
It combined my my passion for sexual health with my interests in medicine/nursing and forensics/crime. What could be better?!
My motto:
Take care of others but never leave yourself behind.
My partner flies recreationally so I'm hoping I will also get my pilot license some day!
Fun Fact!
Our blended family has 8 children and 8 grandchildren!
Fun Fact!
I only recently
discovered what
"Netflix & Chill" actually means.
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An edible flower arrangement I made for a birthday.
My Miniature Pinscher (Min Pin), Piper, at a beach on the North shore of NS. She is a very anxious dog and I'm her "emotion support person".
Hawai'i was my daughter's Wish Foundation wish. Sea turtles were abundant.
I think the turtle is my spirit animal. Slow and steady. Old and wise. And I love the water, especially being under water. I have my PADI level 1 and I would love to Scuba dive more.
Fun Fact!
The Bay of Fundy in N.S. has the world's highest tides!
One of my hooked 'rugs'
Flying by the Minas Basin, part of the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia
© 2023 by Carol Rock-Altenhof