50 Remarkable Alumni: Tracey Vanderaegen-Jones went from nursing to saving lives in organ recovery

Tracey Vanderaegen-Jones credits UFV with giving her the foundational skills for a successful 30-year nursing career. Now, she has taken the expertise she gained through her education and experience and uses it to save lives in organ recovery.

After graduation in 1994, Tracey worked as an on-call, casual nurse at a local hospital, and then signed up to be a nurse on a cruise ship. Through this job she met her husband and moved with him to the U.S. She eventually furthered her education, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Washington.

Following a successful 22-year career with Virginia Mason Medical Center in Washington State in a variety of roles, including as a registered nurse, a manager, an educator and the Director of Perioperative Services, Tracey recently accepted a position with LifeCenter Northwest, an organ procurement organization. She is now the co-lead of an organ recovery team.

The role involves flying anywhere — at any time — across the Pacific Northwest to receive and transport donated organs. “We are the folks who receive the ‘gift of life,’ recovering organs so that others can have a renewed life,” she explains.

In her new role, Tracey will be managing team members, helping to guide their career growth, monitoring competencies, and helping the director in short and long-term goal planning. And although she won’t be doing hands-on work regularly, Tracey will have the opportunity to join some of the flights, where she can make new professional connections and monitor the skills of her team.

“I have a renewed sense of excitement and a chance to improve my work-life balance in this new role,” she says.

Tracey says it was the support, knowledge and patience of her instructors of what was then University College of the Fraser Valley that prepared for the career she feels so passionate about. “What they taught me in terms of life skills, professional interaction, and communication — the standards that I uphold and get accolades for now — I will always look back to UFV as my roots.”

Tracey has fond memories of the nursing instructors at UFV, including Nancy Goad, Joyce Stewart (later Barnes), and Hannah McDonald.

“Joyce especially was so personable and fun,” she recalls.

Her advice to the next generation of nurses?

“Be open, be inquisitive, and maintain your ethics, your professionalism, your honesty, and your integrity,” she says. “It will be hard. But stay true to yourself and persevere. Be prepared, be flexible, and always ask questions.”