Coming Home to Move Forward - Why I’m Heading Back to Calgary

Three weeks ago, Kelly and I made a big decision—we're moving back to Calgary.

The decision was rooted in personal reasons, but as the wheels started turning, I realized how deeply ready I was for this change. Updating my resume, applying for jobs, navigating the provincial registration process in Alberta—it all started as logistics. But it quickly turned into something more emotional, more meaningful. This move feels like a much-needed break from the pressures and pace of life in the Lower Mainland. It feels like breathing room.

Today, I received my first job offer. It’s for an inpatient psychiatry position—work that I know well, work that grounds me. I’m excited. Not just because I’m employed, but because this opportunity marks the beginning of a new chapter in a familiar place. Calgary isn’t just where I grew up; it’s where my nursing career began. Returning now feels like a full circle moment.

When I left Calgary in 2008, I was a brand-new RN looking for growth and adventure. I found that in British Columbia—in the complexity of concurrent disorders work, in the policy conversations, in the challenges and innovations that shaped me professionally and personally. But over time, the realities of living and working in the Lower Mainland have worn me down. Cost of living, traffic, fragmented healthcare systems, the slow drip of burnout. It adds up.

Calgary feels like a reprieve, and I’m going into this move with open eyes. I know that no place is perfect, no health system immune to strain. But my memory of Alberta Health Services is one of a more cohesive structure. A system where decisions felt more streamlined, where resources felt more accessible, and where care felt just a little more connected across the region. I’m craving that kind of coordination again.

I’m also realistic—this is a transition, not a retirement from the work I care about most. Concurrent disorders nursing has always been my passion. Working at the intersection of mental health and substance use is where I feel most aligned with my values, my skills, and my belief in nursing as both science and advocacy. My hope is that, with time, I’ll find a pathway back into that work in the future—whether in Alberta or eventually back in BC.

But for now, I’m choosing what feels right for me and my family. A return to familiar skies. A little more space to breathe. A job that reminds me why I became a nurse in the first place.

Here’s to new beginnings—and coming home to move forward.


Peace,


Michelle D. 

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