John Tablason (BScN ’16) spends his workdays saving lives at Honolulu’s Queen’s Hospital. At the same time, he’s helping TRU nursing students thrive back in Canada.

Inspired by a philanthropist who helped him when he was a TRU student, Tablason wanted to do the same. He completed his BScN in 2016 and by 2019, was funding an annual award to assist nursing students following a similar path. With a recent $25,000 donation, he has established the John Tablason Nursing Excellence and Critical Care Certification Award, creating an endowed fund that ensures the impact of his generosity carries on for generations.

“When I graduated, I was awarded the Ken Lepin Nursing Excellence Award and that was like winning the Nobel Prize to me,” Tablason says.  “It meant so much, and I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to give back to the School of Nursing and the community of Kamloops that shaped so much of who I am.”

Now well established in his nursing career, Tablason admits health care was not his first choice. Initially planning to join the Kamloops Fire Department, Tablason’s path shifted after years of rigorous attempts and close calls. Throughout that time, he worked as a paid, on-call firefighter, and he often found himself handling medical emergencies. It was in that role he felt called to health care.

“I’m a people person,” he says. “I wanted a career where I could help people.”

That decision brought him to TRU, where he began his journey to a career in nursing. Exploring where to specialize led Tablason to critical care nursing, an area that encompasses a broad range of possibilities — from the intensive care unit to the emergency department. He took several critical care courses while at TRU and then completed his certification post-graduation, quickly learning that this credential is the key that opens doors to specialized roles in the ICU, post-anesthesia care unit and the ER — not just locally, but around the world.

Journey to the tropics

Before his career headed south, Tablason explored opportunities through travel nursing. Without a clear idea of what to expect, he accepted a contract position and travelled to northern B.C. He found the experience so valuable that when he completed his first trip, he was inspired to spread the word about travel nursing and other pertinent information for new and aspiring nurses. His journey took him even farther north, working in rural and isolated communities of the Canadian Arctic, including the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon. These remote placements deepened his understanding of disparities in health care and strengthened his commitment to supporting nurses in challenging environments.

“I had an epiphany of educating other nurses about travel nursing, so I started a blog called The Wealthy Nurse, which is basically a blueprint on how to be successful during the four-year nursing program and how to get certified in critical care,” Tablason says.

“I wanted to give students tips and strategies to help them succeed. And that’s when I started thinking about creating an award as well.”

While Tablason wouldn’t make it to Hawaii until several years after graduation, the seed was sown when, as a second-year student, he attended a lecture by Steven Ross — a fellow TRU alum and current chair of the BScN program.

“He briefly mentioned he had worked in Hawaii and as soon as he said that, I was inspired,” he says. “I started to develop a five-year plan of things I wanted to accomplish and how I would open up opportunities to work in the U.S.”

Tablason began taking steps toward his Hawaiian journey in 2018, but between logistical delays and a worldwide pandemic, it was the spring of 2022 before everything came together.

“At one point, I almost gave up on Hawaii and so I accepted a job in Arizona. I was supposed to start that April. And then out of the blue in March, I got a phone call from Hawaii,” he says. “Even on the flight here, it didn’t feel real to me. It was a dream come true.”

It’s been a few years since Tablason started working at Queen’s Medical Centre, the state’s only level-one trauma centre. A committed lifelong learner, he has earned multiple certifications and is now a board-certified emergency nurse.

While currently enjoying all island life has to offer, Tablason knows his pursuit of new horizons is far from over, gaining inspiration from a quote attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Do not go where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”

“I’ll probably never retire,” Tablason says. “If anything, my goals and dreams just get bigger.”

Whether in health care or another field, he envisions a bright, meaningful path ahead – one in which helping others undoubtedly plays a central role.