NTF Leadership Feature

In my third year of nursing school, I attended my first nursing conference – The Canadian Nursing Student Association regional conference hosted in my University’s hometown, Alberta. I had specifically started to dabble in volunteering this year of school, because I felt that everything was settled in my academics and I could devote more time into professional extra-curricular activities. So, this conference was the start of that … which hasn’t quite stopped!

I attended this CNSA conference as volunteer through our U of A Nursing Undergraduate Association; and, I took time to take note of all the information booths, vendors, and health agencies’ job representatives. This was a very sensitive time in our province, and I was very much hoping to secure an Undergraduate Nurse Employee position that summer. So much, that I took everything in … including the NTF Booth on display! In some later months, a friend of mine, and also member of NTF – Angela Espejo, asked me about considering to join NTF, as the team was looking to expand. As I was looking into getting more involved in school while also recognizing the worrisome feelings I had about graduating in the next year and starting work, NTF was the perfect fit!

True to NTF’s vision, I was slowly and steadily brought in on the team under the wings of our Chapter Coordinator at the time, Shannon, and my mentor Kate Young – whose position was the RN Graduate Liaison that I assumed after a year. At this point, I was starting my fourth year of nursing after working full time all summer as a UNE in an emergency department. I had a great eye opening experience to the “real world” of nursing, I went through a good learning curve and gained valuable skills I will always credit coming from this job! So in my last year of school, I hummed along on the team - attending team meetings, going to events (i.e. UNA AGM), and watching presentations (i.e. fourth year U of A students) with senior members to take note of everything NTF and what my role on the team would entail. Things in NTF Edmonton were a bit more established, as myself and another team member, Jenna, were being inducted on the team – we both were very lucky to see how far the team has came since it started in Edmonton in 2009 and very honored to “pick up” where our senior members left off. This entailing the need to secure more contacts in the post-secondary institutions, connect with stakeholders to start funding plans, and work to meet with nursing students at local events who had now already “heard of NTF”. I believe that this year of mentorship on the team is what allowed me to divulge wholly into my responsibilities as the RN Graduate Liaison while concurrently starting my own transition process.

In my fourth year of nursing school, I was fortunate to receive my first option for my preceptorship on an Intensive Care Unit. I had an amazing preceptor, and realized first hand how the influence of a good mentor in an environment so new to me that I (or any nursing student) is keenly interested in can be so instrumental in shaping your career. I had a great experience, but knowing a little too much about transition and still having a curiosity about cardiac nursing I opted to, and was lucky enough, to secure a position on a combined ICU/CCU, where I am currently happily employed full-time! This job has no doubt provided me with a long learning list, but I think my keen interest in pursing more education coupled with the educational and managerial support at work have helped me prosper slowly and safely.

My primary role with the NTF Edmonton Team is to liaise with our local nursing schools’ programs – Grant MacEwan University, Norquest College, and the University of Alberta. Over this year alone while juggling my work schedule, NTF has provided me with the opportunities to deliver over half a dozen presentations to nursing students at the schools and at local conferences. With our Chapter Coordinator, Jenna, I am working to establish formal working relationships with our schools’ preceptorship preparation, and hoping to connect with more managers in the workplaces to help support their new graduate nurse hires. As a team, we are working to connect with interested supportive stakeholders in our region on how to support new nurses.

Since I have been volunteering with Nursing The Future, I have been afforded experiences that enable me to see the “bigger picture” at my workplace and this has helped me mesh and separate my professional life with my personal life. However, my experiences presenting have been followed with excellent team debriefing, thus improving my confidence and leadership growth in relaying concerns about new graduate transition to our profession and public as a whole. I am consistently being challenged with growing responsibilities to represent the organization, namely I will be at the CNA Biennial this June 2012 in Vancouver at the NTF Exhibit Booth.

I have been lucky enough to experience transition while being able to relay about the research to the public. I have no doubt that my future experiences will be as enriching as my past experiences, and beneficial to my professional growth! I have been provided with a solid education on the inner workings of the nursing profession and the challenges that lie ahead for it in health care systems, and I hope to be able to apply this in graduate studies one day.

I feel so very fortunate to be part of such an amazing organization that is striving to nurse the betterment of our future procession.