ARNNL Education Research Award

When some folks talk about choosing to become a nurse, they focus on their decision to go to nursing school. That has never fully resonated with me, as I really did not know what I was getting into when I chose to enroll in my nursing program, as an eager high school graduate. Admittedly, I never intended to be a permanent Registered Nurse – my plan was to eventually go to medical school. Although I can’t isolate a turning point, by the time I graduated in 2008, I had chosen to become a nurse. I am immensely proud to be part of this discipline and profession. From the bold and gritty hands-on environment of surgical oncology to the puzzling maze of community health case management to the inspiring academy of nursing education, the past 16 years have been full of exciting and challenging opportunities. At the centre, it is the way-of-being in the relational space of the human experience that keeps me choosing this career every day.  

I now work as a Nurse Educator at the Centre for Nursing Studies in St. John’s, NL and am completing my PhD in Nursing at Memorial University. My program of research is dedicated to nursing workforce preparation and career development, with focus on primary care nursing. My work aims to help develop a robust nursing workforce that is well-equipped to provide team-based care within diverse community-based primary care settings.