Hi there!
I have been passionately involved with the profession of nursing for my entire professional career. I started working with the Centre of Nursing and Health Studies at Athabasca University in 2003 as a sessional instructor and in 2005 became an Assistant Professor and was Program Manager of the Advanced Nursing Practice Program from 2005-2010 & 2019-2021. I currently demonstrate service to the profession as Dean of the School of Nursing at Cape Breton University, a growing university with a global reach.
I am involved on various levels with local, provincial, and national nursing issues, committees, and organizations. I have a strong belief in professional advocacy and regulation having served on the board for the Canadian Nursing Association, the Canadian Association of Advanced Practice Nurses (president) and the College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia (president). I have been privileged to learn and grow colleagues within the International Council of Nurses: Advanced Practice Subgroup in various roles within research, service and committee contributions.
I have a BScN from the University of Ottawa, an Emergency/Critical Care diploma from Red River College, an Advanced Graduate Diploma from Athabasca, and was one of the first students to receive a Master of Health: Advanced Nursing Practice degree from AU. I completed a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree with a concentration in Clinical Leadership from Case Western University. I have a firm belief in the scholarship of practice, and to that end maintain a part time NP practice to maintain my clinical competencies, primarily working with marginalized or underrepresented populations. I am currently expanding my educational journey by participating in the International Council of Nursing’s Global Nursing Leadership Institute scholar program.
My research interests include job satisfaction and role transition for nursing (NPs/RNs/LPNs), online education methods, mobile technology in practice, resilience in practice, nursing specific clinical outcomes, pharmaceutical influences for APNs, and point of care health efficiencies.
I currently live in Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia and share my life with my paramedic leader husband Patrick, and Social Worker daughter Lillian, and amazing pre-teen Màili.
I consider it a privilege to continue learning, sharing, and developing professionally with students and staff as we navigate together through nursing professional practice.
PRACTICE
Scholarship of Practice:
Building, Demonstrating, and Disseminating Clinical Expertise
SERVICE
Scholarship of Application:
Integrative, Mission Critical, and Community Focused
RESEARCH & SCHOLARLY ACTIVITIES
Scholarship of Discovery:
Exemplary Discipline-Specific Knowledge Curation
TEACHING
Scholarship of Teaching:
Pedagogy Driven, Evidence Based Knowledge Translation
Demonstrating Excellence in Clinical Scholarship
Somewhat unique to the nursing academic field is the fundamental requirement to remain connected to clinical practice, while ensuring the more traditional model of research through the scholarship of discovery is fostered. My vision of academic scholarship is aligned with the commitment to lifelong learning, thinking, questioning, and pursuing answers through the demonstration of exemplary nursing practice.
Using the Boyer Model of Scholarship and Paskiewicz’s (2003) Clinical Practice Model as a guide, this professional portfolio will demonstrate my commitment to the university mission, to excellence in administration, to the scholarship of discovery, the scholarship of application demonstrated through service, and the scholarship of integration demonstrated through clinical practice, service and dissemination.
Boyer’s Model of Scholarship integrates four types of scholarship to form the basis of scholarly work, contributing to effective teaching and learning. The four types of scholarship include: discovery, integration, application, and teaching (Wilkes, Mannix & Jackson, 2013).
Wilkes, Lesley & Mannix, Judy & Jackson, Debra. (2013).
Paskiewicz’s (2003) model speaks more specifically to an organizational framework that reflects the strengths of nursing practice in a faculty role and allows for consideration of the contributions of administrative roles.
Paskiewicz, L. S. (2003).
Recommended Reading/References
- Pape, T. (2000), Boyer’s Model of Scholarly Nursing Applied to Professional Development. AORN Journal, 71: 995-1003. https://0-doi-org.aupac.lib.
athabascau.ca/10.1016/S0001- 2092(06)61549-4 - Paskiewicz, L. S. (2003). Clinical Practice: An Emphasis Strategy for Promotion and Tenure. Nursing Forum, 38(4), 21–26.
- Peterson, K.A., & Stevens, J. (2013). Integrating the scholarship of practice into the nurse academician portfolio. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 3, 84.
- Prado, K. B., Napierkowski, D., & Marshall, B. (2016). Cultivating and Refining Clinical Knowledge and Practice: Relating the Boyer Model to Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarship. Journal of Doctoral Nursing Practice, 9(2), 226–228.
- Wilkes, Lesley & Mannix, Judy & Jackson, Debra. (2013). Practicing nurses perspectives of clinical scholarship: A qualitative study. BMC nursing. 12. 21. 10.1186/1472-6955-12-21.