Laurel Wakefield is a dedicated Clinical Resource Nurse whose passion for patient care is reignited daily in HSC’s Wilf Taillieu Thoracic Surgery Clinic and Endoscopy Unit
Laurel Wakefield is a Clinical Resource Nurse in HSC’s Wilf Taillieu Thoracic Surgery Clinic and Endoscopy Unit.
For Clinical Resource Nurse (CRN) Laurel Wakefield, working in HSC’s Wilf Taillieu Thoracic Surgery Clinic and Endoscopy Unit is highly rewarding. Each day, she’s reminded of the profound impact this unique unit has on patients’ lives.
“What’s incredible about the thoracic clinic is how quickly we can see patients,” she says. “Because of how the unit is designed, wait times are incredibly low. Our patients are always so grateful. You can feel it.”
Born and raised in Winnipeg, Wakefield has always been a caregiver with a passion for science and a head for numbers. She says nursing was a natural path. But, after spending eight years working in HSC’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, she was feeling burnt out.
“Nursing offers so many paths. If one path isn’t working, I highly recommend trying something new,” she says. Wakefield’s move to the Wilf Taillieu Thoracic Surgery Clinic and Endoscopy Unit in January 2024, rekindled her passion for nursing. She shifted into the CRN role in September 2024.
“When I found this role, I fell in love with nursing all over again. As the CRN, I oversee the entire flow of the unit—making sure our team has what they need, and that every patient receives timely, compassionate care,” she says.
HSC’s Wilf Taillieu Thoracic Surgery Clinic and Endoscopy Unit opened in January 2019 with a $3.275 million investment from HSC Foundation donors to improve care for patients with esophageal cancer, lung cancer, and other thoracic conditions.
The state-of-the-art Wilf Taillieu Thoracic Surgery Clinic and Endoscopy Unit opened in January 2019.
The clinic enables many thoracic procedures to be performed in the unit instead of a conventional operating room and allows health care providers to conduct biopsies and staging tests in one day, often avoiding long waits and overnight hospital stays.
“We have patients who come in who haven’t been able to swallow. We place a stent, and suddenly they’re able to swallow something for the first time in weeks. You can see the relief in their eyes,” she says. “The patients are so grateful that they didn’t have to go sit in the emergency room for hours, that they were able to call us, and come in right away to get their issue resolved. It’s very rewarding.”
To add to the progress in thoracic care, the HSC Foundation, in partnership with the provincial government, recently unveiled Manitoba’s first surgical robot—the da Vinci Xi. The minimally invasive robot is currently being used in lung and esophageal procedures in thoracic surgery, as well as gynecologic cancer surgery and urology. The $3.6 million surgical robot was acquired through the HSC Foundation’s Operation Excellence campaign.
The new, minimally invasive da Vinci Xi surgical robot is improving outcomes for thoracic surgery and other surgery patients.
“This clinic is one of a kind. It’s the only one like it in Canada,” says Wakefield. “Our staff and surgeons are excited to be here because of the state-of-the-art equipment and the level of care we’re able to deliver.”
“I am just so grateful that people are willing to donate their hard-earned money,” she adds. “As someone working in the Wilf Taillieu Thoracic Surgery Clinic and Endoscopy Unit, I can tell you that these donations are impacting the lives of our patients greatly.”
In a clinic where innovation drives healing, it’s nurses like Wakefield who ensure every patient feels supported and cared for. Her story reflects not just the power of modern medicine, but the quiet strength of those who choose to serve on the front lines of health care.
To honour a nurse at HSC this National Nursing Week, please make a tribute gift to the HSC Foundation today at hscfoundation.mb.ca or call 204-515-5612 or 1-800-679-8493 (toll-free).
Read the rest of our National Nursing Week 2025 stories here.
By Jen Golletz
