Margaret Munro Award

My pathway to nursing is a bit of a roundabout one. I completed my first undergraduate degree at U of T in 2009, BSc in Human Biology with a Specialist in Health and Disease.  I then went on to complete a Master of Public Health degree in 2012.  After graduation, I worked primarily in public health research and then program evaluation at a social service agency in Toronto.  I originally pursued my master’s degree because I wanted to make a difference through improving health inequities and the social determinants of health on a population level.  However, I discovered over time that to get satisfaction from my work on a daily basis, I need to be working with people on the frontlines and making a concrete, tangible difference in their lives, which is why I decided to become a nurse.  After a year in nursing school, I feel like I have finally found the perfect vocational fit and I can’t wait to start my nursing career.

For the future, my heart is set on community health nursing. Some areas of interest I have are in mental health, primary health care, community-based palliative care and home care. My priority is to work with and advocate for underserviced populations who face barriers to accessing health care in urban settings.