Dr. Dorothy Kergin Fellowship Award

No single event or person inspired me to pursue nursing. However, the nursing profession reflects my values and many aspects of my personality, making it a natural fit. I enjoy having the opportunity to “connect the dots” linking pathophysiology to a patient’s clinical presentation. Even more, I love being able to break medical knowledge down for patients and families in an easy-to-understand way, so they are equipped with a better understanding of their own health. I enjoy the opportunities where I get to work as part of a team to use critical thinking, advanced skills, and technology to save a person’s life. Even more, I love the opportunity to sit and talk with my patients or their families and get to know who they are, because it is these moments that people will remember the most. 

I cannot imagine myself in a career other than nursing, probably because it is such a versatile profession. I have always considered myself somewhat of a “generalist” nurse, having worked in multiple clinical areas in both rural and urban centres. I have cared for patients across the lifespan, from supporting parents to bring a new life into the world, to providing comfort and support to patients and their families at the end of life. I don’t know how many other professionals could say that in a single workweek, they can switch between working directly with patients at the bedside, contributing to research, and teaching the next generation. I cannot wait to see where else my nursing career takes me.