Adventure might be built into Madison Tait’s DNA.
Mountain biking and cliff jumping are more recent examples of the adrenaline hunting that has always been part of her makeup, but a chunk of Tait’s childhood was spent roaming the continent with her free-spirited parents. After graduating high school, unsure what she wanted to do with her life, she planted trees as a foreman in B.C. and Alberta for six gruelling years.
“It pushed me to my limits. I didn’t think I was capable of doing it,” said Tait, who is now a shift nurse manager liaison at Waypoint. “But it really shows you what you’re made of.”
As part of her tree-planting job, she drew gratification from responding to people in crisis as a first aid attendant. “I did a bit of soul searching and thought maybe I could be a nurse,” said Tait. “I wanted a family and I wanted a career that was future-proof — we’ll always need nurses.”
She entered the nursing program at Georgian College, which is offered in collaboration with York University. While learning about anatomy and pharmacology fascinated her, Tait found her placements somewhat boring. That’s when COVID-19 changed the trajectory of her life. Finishing her degree in 2020 required a consolidation placement. Due to the pandemic, however, most hospitals weren’t taking nursing students. Waypoint was an exception, so she ended up working on Beckwith A, one of the high-secure units that make up the hospital’s provincial forensic programs.
As the sole provider of high-secure mental health services in Ontario, Waypoint cares for the most complex and disadvantaged people in the province — men with serious mental health and substance use issues who have become involved with the criminal justice system. Beckwith A specializes in caring for patients predominantly diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, treatment-resistant symptoms and substance-abuse challenges.
“My first day I thought to myself, ‘This place is amazing,’” she said, recalling the rush of helping long-term patients with interesting backgrounds. “And the team was so welcoming. They really took me under their wing, which is something I will forever be grateful for.”
In four years, Tait has risen from nursing student to part-time nurse to full-time nurse, and then to team lead, shift nurse manager and then her current role. There is always one shift nurse manager overseeing hospital operations after regular hours, responding to emergency situations and liaising with the administrator on call, as well as police and emergency responders. They provide a safe, secure and therapeutic environment, manage the allocation of human resources and work assignments, monitor workloads, and assess and manage risks/threats to the hospital, patients and staff.
The position of shift nurse manager liaison was created in 2022 as a pilot project. Tait works from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday to Friday, overlapping with clinical leaders and the senior leadership team and those who work the 6:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift. She sees herself as a bridge between the groups and an advocate for the evening crew.
“I like that I can give a voice to my shift nurse manager team. Their perspective is important. And hopefully I’m making positive changes within the organization,” she said. “I like to solve challenges, and with this role I get to solve a lot of them.”
Aided by Waypoint’s Tuition Support Fund, Tait is currently working part-time toward a masters degree in health management from McMaster University.