CNF Indigenous Award

My name is Jillian Ryan and I am from Corner Brook, NL.  I am a part-time Master of Science of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner option) student at Memorial University.  I have been a Registered Nurse for five years; I graduated from the Western Regional School of nursing in my hometown in 2017.  At present, I work as an RN on a medical/cardiac unit.  I also worked as a community health nurse and worked caring for COVID-19 inpatients and in swabbing and vaccine clinics periodically during the pandemic.

I became a nurse because I have had a longstanding interest in working in primary care and have always had a natural propensity for caring for others.  My mom has been an RN for 36 years (and counting).  This in many ways has impacted my decision to enter the profession.  I am a proud RN.  Nursing has simultaneously touched my heart and thickened my skin. 

As someone who is academically inclined, completing my MScN was an instinctive next-step for me.  I am looking forward to the expanded scope of practice and career change that completing my master’s degree will bring.  My plan is to remain and work as a Nurse Practitioner in Western NL once I graduate.  I won a CNF scholarship in 2016 during my nursing undergraduate degree.  I am delighted to once again be a CNF scholar.  The financial support and academic recognition means a great deal to me.  Thank you again!