About Me
My name is Candice Dekleva and I am a healthcare professional and a registered nurse.
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I live in New Brunswick and attended the University of New Brunswick graduating in 2006 with my Bachelor of Nursing Degree.
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Since that time I've continued to build on my education earning certificates in Critical Care Nursing and Nursing Leadership and Management.
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This website and portfolio serve to provide you with an idea of who I am as a nursing professional and future people leader.
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I'm currently undertaking my Master of Health Studies Degree at Athabasca and this page serves as the place to share my coursework which focuses on the development of my professional presence.
About my role with Public Health
I started work with the Department of Health at the Government of New Brunswick in the fall of 2022. To see my department's website please click on this link.
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Within the Department of Health I work for the public health branch. The goal of the public health branch of the Department of Health is to provide program and services that work to prevent illness and keep the people of New Brunswick healthy and safe (Health, 2025). It's comprised of three units that include Wellbeing, Legislation, and Standards, Operations and Support, and Prevention and Control (Francophone Affairs, Pharmaceutical Services, Public Health and Medicare & Physician Services (Division), n.d.).
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​Currently, I am working as part of the Prevention and Control Unit as the lead for the harm reduction in substance use file, and as a backup and support for my colleagues in communicable disease. My main roles as a Senior Program Advisor are to:
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Provide subject matter expertise on harm reduction work around the province, information related to current department work on this subject and to act as a liaison with partner collaborators in the community.
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Prepare key messages and respond to media and public inquiries about my subject matter.
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Prepare guidance materials, documents, and memos related to harm reduction and communicable disease in collaboration with colleagues and independently as needed.
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Represent the Department of Health and/or the Public Health branch on interdepartmental and partner collaborator committees.
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​Reviewing policies to ensure they are up to date and developing new ones as needed.
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Updating leadership as needed regarding changes or updates to my areas of subject matter expertise and consulting regarding key decisions.
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Maintaining competency of use of multiple forms of technology such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, Zoom, search engines, etc., to complete program work.
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In my work I am often researching and referencing provincial partner information or legislation to ensure best practice and accuracy. You can find some of the websites I reference on my Healthcare Resources page found here.
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References
Francophone Affairs, Pharmaceutical Services, Public Health and Medicare & Physician Services (Division). (n.d.).
Health. Retrieved January 27, 2025, from
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/contacts/dept_renderer.141.2281.html#structure
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Health. (n.d.). Government of New Brunswick. Retrieved January
25 2025, from https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/health.html
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Professional Values
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Accountability
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Integrity
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Quality work
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Strong work ethic
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Honesty
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Reliability
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Compassion
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Empathy
Professional Accountability
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As a Registered Nurse (RN) I am responsible to register annually to practice in the province of New Brunswick. Since I wrote my initial exam in 2006, I have completed annual recertification work and answered questions related to my primary role, hours of practice, additional education completed, etc.
Over the years the way RNs have been evaluated has changed. The goal of the Nurses Association of New Brunswick (NANB) has always been to protect and serve the public (NANB, 2025). They do this by preparing education, ensuring registration for Nurse Practitioners and RNs is completed on time, and answering complaints that the public or an employer may have related to violations of the standards to practice (NANB, 2025).
Standards required for RNs to practice fall into four categories (NANB, 2025):
1) Responsibility & Accountability
2) Knowledge-Based practice
3) Client-Centered practice
4) Relationships & Leadership
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Annual mandatory education designed by NANB encompasses relevant topics that touch on these standards and often reflect current issues related to healthcare. As a professional I complete this education ach year along with taking education that supports my knowledge base and fitness to practice.
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In annual performance agreements or workplans that I create for my employer at public health, I identify work I'm participating in, with timelines and then that work is evaluated over the year to assess the level of success I've achieved on the project. The performance agreement also highlights the education that I have completed over the year.
In addition to education related to my nursing practice, I am also responsible to complete mandatory education as part of my employment. This includes things like privacy training, cyber security training, language of work, and indigenous knowledge and sensitivity. Being competent to practice and continuing education that builds on both my personal and professional well being is important to me as a professional.
Below is a list of education I have completed throughout the years. This does not include mandatory education for employment or supplementary education related to optional education offers.
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Currently I hold memberships in the following associations:
Nurses Association of New Brunswick (NANB)
Member from 2006-Present
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NB/PEI Public Health Association - Volunteer run organization that brings together public health professionals for work in population in public health across the two provinces and the country.
Member from 2023-Present​​​​
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References
​Nurses Association of New Brunswick. (n.d.). NANB. Retrieved January 25, 2025, from https://nanb.nb.ca/en/