CNSA Clinical Award

My parents are my greatest inspiration for becoming a nurse and the example for how I want to practice as a health care professional.  Growing up, I observed first-hand their abilities to empathize, problem solve, and advocate for their patients throughout their careers as both a nurse and paramedic, and for this reason I was inspired to work in health care.

I decided to pursue nursing specifically after working in clinical research and gaining exposure to a movement of clinical trials in hyperacute stroke care that engage emergency medicine in order to revolutionize practice.  These trials have the potential to change the standard of care for stroke patients by facilitating the preservation of healthy brain tissue through neuroprotective agents that can be administered before the patient arrives to hospital in the ambulance.  This hyperacute care movement is extremely exciting and something that I would love to be a part of as an emergency room nurse.  To me, becoming a nurse represents an opportunity to combine innovative research and provide clinical care using empathy, critical thinking and advocacy into a rewarding, life-long career.  I am excited to continue to build a clinical skill set that will allow me to impact patient experiences in a capacity that I have not been able to before as a researcher.

It is an honour to receive this award and I am grateful to the CNF for their support.