Innovative Medicines Canada Nurse Practitioner Award

I am very grateful and honored to receive the Canadian Nurses Foundation Innovative Medicines NP Award. I am currently a graduate student at McMaster University in the Master of Science in Nursing – Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner Program. The program is intense, and I have learned so much from leading nurse researchers about the importance of evidence-based research in clinical practice. I believe this program will equip me with the necessary knowledge and skill set required to practice as a safe and efficient primary health care nurse practitioner in my community.

I chose nursing because it allows me to make a valuable contribution to my community through compassionate nursing care. My previous undergraduate experiences in student leadership and peer mentorship enabled me to develop strong interpersonal skills, which adequately prepared me for a career in nursing. Since graduating with my BScN in 2014, I have been working as an in-patient mental health nurse in Hamilton, ON, with clients and families living with schizophrenia and other complex mental illnesses. As a nurse, I have partnered with my clients and advocated for their goals and needs, so that they have an overall better experience within our health care system.

This scholarship is an encouragement to me and allows me the freedom to focus on successfully completing my master’s degree. In the future, my hope is to work as a primary health care nurse practitioner with individuals and families who are impacted by mental illness.