Senator Norman Paterson Award

I am passionate about nursing, nursing’s unique role in healthcare delivery, and about the contributions nursing has and will continue to make on the healthcare system. As a nurse with extensive nursing experience and advanced nursing knowledge, I have had numerous opportunities to contribute to nursing’s body of knowledge and to influence nurses new to this profession through both my mentoring and formalized role as a Clinical Faculty member.  My passion for nursing is evident to all who know me.  Whether working at the bedside with newly hired staff nurses, speaking at ethics rounds about Advance Care Planning or as a keynote speaker at local and national conferences about the psychosocial issues of patients with renal disease, I strive to be a leader in patient advocacy and to role model clinical excellence for nurses. I am interested in conducting research with an ethical focus on nephrology nursing practice including quality of life and end of life care issues.  My research interests originate from my experiences working in a regional nephrology program where I have witnessed the complexities of care characteristic for patients diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease and the numerous ethical dilemmas often faced by nurses caring for patients being treated for their kidney failure. My research activities will illuminate the relationships and underlying ethical dilemmas that exist within Nephrology nursing practice.  Successful completion of my PhD will allow me to advance nursing knowledge through scholarly research and to build on the existing theoretical foundation of nephrology nursing practice.