Meet Kylie.

Each month we meet up with a team member so we can find out more about them, their role at the clinic and how they improve our patient’s lives. This month, with fall vaccinations top of mind, we caught up with Kylie. Kylie is the team member who works most closely in ordering our vaccines so she was the ideal choice! We hope you enjoy meeting Kylie and getting to know her.

Q: Kylie, tell us about your work at Winterberry—what’s your role?

I am a registered practical nurse and have been working at Winterberry for over 5 years now! I do both virtual and in-person patient care and manage all of our vaccine ordering. I also enjoy training our new nursing staff when they come onboard.

Q: What led you to this work?

I’ve always had a passion for caring for people, especially those who are most vulnerable in our population. Whatever I can do to improve a patient’s access to or encounters with health care, I am happy to help. I especially love working in primary care to help improve the general health of our community and counsel patients on preventative care.

Q: When it comes to vaccinations at the clinic, what is your role?

I order all the vaccinations for the clinic and ensure our team and patients stay up to date with the newest vaccines as they become available.

Q: Is there something you wish more people knew about vaccinations?

Vaccines do not cause the disease you’re being immunized for. A small, weakened or inactive piece of a germ is introduced to the body via the vaccination. This causes your immune response to recognize this germ, produce antibodies (fighter proteins), and remember it. This way, if you encounter the same germ in the future, your body already knows how to fight it! Rather than treating a disease after it happens, vaccines can help prevent us from getting seriously sick and avoid hospitalization.

Q: Any vaccine myths you’d like to bust?

I know there is talk that routine vaccines are no longer needed, as there are much fewer of these rare diseases circulating locally. In truth, the reason we are seeing low disease rates is because of our high vaccination coverage and accessibility in Canada. Let’s keep these diseases in the past and keep our families and community safe!

Q: If patients have vaccination questions, who should they direct those to at the clinic?

All of our nurses are excellent at staying up to date with the current immunization guidelines and are a great resource for our patients when it comes to ensuring they’re appropriately immunized. Of course, I am also happy to help if anyone has questions about vaccines!

Q: Is there an average day for you in the clinic?

Every day differs for me! I have one day a week caring for a few of our palliative patients, another day managing our phone nurse line, and the rest is split between in-person patient care and doing virtual appointments performing annual health reviews. I love the variety, and I find it keeps me up to date on the most appropriate care for all of our patients. Oh! And managing our vaccines at both sites, of course.

Q: When you’re not at Winterberry helping patients, what will we find you doing?

I love to read, play volleyball, and go for walks with my husband and our puppy, Honey. I am big on family and love spending my free time with the people I love most! I am also so excited to become a first-time mom in February 2027! (Not to discount my status as dog-mom to Honey!)