Bianca Beyer Award

My doctoral research centers on exploring patient roles within interprofessional teams at the primary care level using constructivist grounded theory. This work extends my Master of Nursing study exploring patients’ experiences with receiving care from an interprofessional team.  This emerging program of research will aid healthcare providers in providing more person-centered care to their patients, enhancing patient health outcomes and increasing personal work satisfaction.

Growing up I watched as my mother, a physician from Ukraine, re-educated herself to become a nurse in Canada. I remember staying up late to be her “patient” that she could practice her assessment skills on.  Later, when she began formal employment, I would excitedly wait for her to come home so she could share interesting stories from her shift.  My mother always talked about her work with such pride, enthusiasm and passion.  Both my sister, who is currently doing her Master in Nursing, and I knew that we wanted to be just like our mother.  Currently, I work as a registered nurse on a medicine unit, but I am also working towards my dream of becoming a tenured nursing professor.  To date, I have had the privilege to teach students within both academic and healthcare institutions through my roles as a contract/guest lecturer, clinical instructor, teaching assistant, and mentor.

I am extremely grateful to the Canadian Nurses Foundation and Bianca Beyer Award committee for selecting me as this year’s recipient. The support of this generous award will enable me to continue with my doctoral research and spend more time with my two extremely active sons.  Perhaps in the future one of my own children will find my work inspiring and join the nursing profession themselves.