Joan Gilchrist Award

My name is Maripier Jubinville, I have been a nurse for 15 years in the province of Quebec and I am as passionate about this profession as I was when I started. The desire to become a nurse comes from the fact that I was confronted with a family member’s illness when I was a teenager. At that time, I was able to see the humanity in nursing, as well as the professionalism, and the surprising wealth of experience and knowledge that nurses have. This realization sparked a strong interest for the profession as well as a desire to take care of others. Thus, I undertook studies in nursing and began my career working as a surgical nurse. This position required me to develop and demonstrate clinical judgment, critical analysis, and multiple skills that included the leadership needed to ensure the well-being and care of the patients under my responsibility. I took a keen interest in providing continuing education, supporting the development of novice nurses’ skills and in the management of healthcare services. For this reason, two years after graduating I pursued graduate studies at the master’s level while I continued to work. I gradually developed the relevant expertise to convince the management of the healthcare institution where I worked to provide formalized training to new nurses. In the past five years, I have been a senior nursing advisor and a university lecturer. This allows me to support young nurses in the development of their skills and to implement practices that promote quality and safety in patient care.

Three years ago, I began my doctoral studies in order to develop, validate and integrate, into all healthcare institutions, a standardized training program for the charge nurse.  Charge nurses hold key positions in clinical and administrative management. Through this training, I hope that charge nurses will be able to optimally perform their job, which will ensure that the highest level of quality and safety of care is offered to patients and their families, allowing them to experience healthcare that meets their needs. 

I would like to thank the Canadian Nurses Foundation (CNF) for supporting my studies. I am delighted and honoured to have received the Joan Gilchrist Award recognizing me as a CNF grant recipient.