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Jaelynne Sonke, Director, Surgical Services, is retiring this June after a distinguished nursing career.
Jaelynne Sonke’s sweeping nursing career is coming full circle on June 5, 2026. Her retirement begins exactly 44 years after she wrote her final registered nursing exam. Over more than four decades, she built a reputation as an innovative nursing leader and a steady advocate for healthcare excellence.
She began her nursing career in Hamilton in 1982, working on a hematology ward and eventually in the operating room (OR) at the Hamilton General Hospital. She moved to the Niagara region in 1989 to work in the OR at the Hotel Dieu Hospital before making her way to Niagara Health in 2005.
It was while working at the Hotel Dieu that Sonke was encouraged by her OR manager to go back to school to further her education after recognizing her leadership ability. In 2007, Sonke received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing with Honours from Brock University, and in 2015, received her Master in Business Administration from the University of Fredericton.
It was her calm demeanor that set her on the path for perioperative nursing and a variety of leadership roles – charge nurse, clinical manager, and most recently, director of surgical services.
“I work well under pressure, which is necessary when working in the operating room,” she says. “You never know what is going to come through those doors. Being prepared is essential.”
“You never know what is going to come through those doors. Being prepared is essential.”
Her ability to work well under pressure was a key factor in her ability to succeed in shaping Niagara Health’s surgical program. When the hospital prepared for the move from the St. Catharines General Hospital legacy site on Queenston Street to the now-named Marotta Family Hospital on Fourth Avenue, she “planned for perfection.”
“It took a lot of hard work and a lot of long days,” she recalls. “There was an immense amount of collaboration with programs, staff and physicians, many hours of education and staff orientation. It was very exciting, and at the same time, a bit scary.”
She remembers watching the first patient enter the new hospital, then waiting for the first patient to enter the OR.
“The staff couldn’t wait to put to use all of the new equipment,” she says.
One of the biggest challenges she says she undertook as director of surgical services was conducting Niagara Health’s surgical redesign – moving from a three site to a two-site surgical model.
“It required a significant amount of high-level planning, thinking very strategically, always thinking about the patient first and what the community needs,” she says. “The project was a balance of expanding the surgical program to meet the increasing amount of urgent/emergent surgical volumes while ensuring timely access to care.”
With all the changes Sonke has seen during her time in healthcare, one constant has been the people she has worked with.
“I have so many great memories” she says. “I’ve been so fortunate to work with such fantastic people. Niagara Health has been a wonderful place to work.”
One of those people is Heather Paterson, Executive Vice-President, Clinical Operations. She describes Sonke as having an “unwavering commitment to patients and her team.”
“An innovative nursing leader and a tireless advocate for excellence, Jae spent years helping to shape the future of the Surgical Program through partnership, courage and compassion,” says Paterson. “From advancing new models of care such as the introduction of the Registered Nurse First Assist Program as well as the Anaesthesia Assistant strategy, she has consistently championed evidence based care, fostered interdisciplinary collaboration and advanced initiatives that have improved patient outcomes.”
Earlier this month, Sonke was recognized at Niagara Health’s annual Nursing Excellence Awards, receiving a coveted Lifetime Achievement award. The peer-nominated awards, which were presented during National Nursing Week, described Sonke as a nurse who “balances high expectations with genuine care for her team.”
"I’ve been so fortunate to work with such fantastic people. Niagara Health has been a wonderful place to work.”
“Trust your training, embrace learning and never forget the ‘why.’ Your patients always come first.”
When thinking about the next generation of nurses, Sonke encourages them to continue the pursuit of improving patient outcomes. She advises new nurses to “trust your training, embrace learning and never forget the ‘why.’ Your patients always come first.”
Her plans for retirement include travelling to Victoria, B.C., where each of her three children, as well as her two grandsons, live. She also hopes to do more boating – finding new places to explore, travel with friends, ride her bike more and pick up golf and pickleball.
Sonke’s next chapter, Paterson says, is “so well-deserved.”
“Jae is passionate about healthcare, a valued leader and mentor to many across the organization,” she says. “Her contributions to Niagara Health and our community have left a lasting impact, and she will be deeply missed.”
