Nova Scotia Nurses Association Award

I knew I wanted to go into nursing near the end of high school; it seemed like the perfect mix of biology, pharmacology, clinical work and caring. When I started my nursing degree at McGill, I couldn’t get enough of it and I immediately knew it was for me.  I loved caring for every person I came across, armed with evidence-based knowledge and a warm smile.

As I neared the end of my Bachelor’s degree, I wanted to take my nursing knowledge even further. I wanted to learn how to conduct the research that informs new healthcare policies and procedures that affect thousands of people.  So here I am, currently in my second year of the Masters of Science in Nursing program at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.  Here, I am both in the clinical world and in the academic world; I love classroom learning and research but I also feel a strong need to be at the bedside.

I am currently working at the Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Centre on a unit that helps rehabilitate people with spinal cord injuries. Accompanying and supporting patients and families through one of their most difficult life transitions reminds me how privileged I am to be a nurse and how important research is in helping improve the care we offer.  Therefore, I am so thankful to donors and the Canadian Nurses Foundation in supporting me to be both WITH the patients and working on research FOR the patients!