“A small part in helping patients get better.”

Robin is a cook at Western Hospital in Alberton and is responsible for preparing breakfast, dinner and supper for patients. She also prepares meals for staff in the hospital cafeteria. 

Robin is a Red Seal chef who has been working in the health system since 2008. She first started working at Western Hospital, Maplewood Manor and Community Hospital O’Leary as a casual cook, became a part-time employee in 2013 and a permanent full-time employee at Western Hospital in 2019. 

She prepares meals daily for up to 25 patients and 15 to 20 staff who eat in the hospital cafeteria. 

“Some days it is quite busy – there are never enough hours in the day. I have to be highly organized and everything runs smoothly most of the time,” said Robin.  

Robin starts her day at 5 a.m. by preparing the baking which includes muffins, biscuits, cookies, desserts – everything is made from scratch in the kitchen at Western Hospital. Breakfast is made by 8 a.m. 

Throughout the day she makes sandwiches, soups, chowders and casseroles for supper time which is served around 5 p.m. with the main meal being made for noon time. In that time, she makes a second option for staff and has some freedom on what to choose for staff. 

“I work with service workers to put food on the trays and the service workers then serve the patients. I work with a manager and dietitian to set the menu. The hospital goes with a four-week rotation of the menu.” 

She does food ordering once a week and also does some scheduling if a co-worker is not able to make their shift. 

There is also a part-time cook at Western Hospital who works 40 per cent of the time. In terms of special dietary needs, she goes by diet census for patients, but also has day-to-day phone calls with nursing, if they need to relay more information. She works with a dietitian for special food needs.  

“I like that I play a small part in helping patients get better with nutritious meals. Patients look forward to their meals. It is a great place to work. I get to be creative. I work with a lot of great people. It is a great career to have. I really love my job.” 

     – Robin Profit, cook at Western Hospital