Dr. Dorothy J Kergin Fellowship

As a registered nurse, most of my experience has been in community health, an area about which I am passionate. Now, as a nursing educator, I am committed to preparing pre-registration nursing students for safe, competent, and passionate registered nursing practice within the community. My doctoral studies are a gateway to research that will benefit undergraduate nursing curricula, particularly in the area of community health nursing. Through my research I will assess the degree to which undergraduate community clinical experiences are preparing students for actual nursing practice. The Canadian Nurses’ Association predicts that ever-increasing numbers of registered nurses will be working in the community, so it is imperative that educators assess and understand how well students are being prepared for working within that context. Patient, family and community care depends upon the high quality, skilled, knowledgeable and competent care of registered nurses. As such, I am deeply committed to undergraduate nursing education—and this is the area I wish to devote my future research and scholarly endeavours as well.