Sanofi Pasteur Award

I started my career in healthcare working as an Emergency Medical Technician in a small, rural community. The ambulance service provided the only healthcare professionals for the village and it was through this role I became interested in the continuity of care and promoting the health of individuals and their community. This interest led me into my current career in nursing. While I currently work in acute care my desire to provide episodic and ongoing care has remained. I enrolled in the Athabasca University Master of Nursing / Nurse Practitioner program because I saw it as a logical progression which would enable me to provide more comprehensive and continuous care to individuals and families. I recently heard a nurse scholar describe nursing as “the place where science and caring meet.” This statement is one of the clearest articulations I have ever heard of the art and science of nursing.

I enjoy the technical and scientific side of nursing. However it is the human application of these components which truly define nursing. The Nurse Practitioner role expands on both of these elements. As a Nurse Practitioner I will be able to promote health, focus on illness and injury prevention including advocating for appropriate immunizations, and working with patients, families, and communities in achieving their optimal health status. I am appreciative of the financial support of Sanofi Pasteur and the Canadian Nurses Foundation as I continue towards my goal of achieving my Master of Nursing degree and Nurse Practitioner Licensure.