A great New Grad Champion gravitates to the research and knowledge around new grad transitions and continually applies that foundation to improving the real world experience of the new graduate in order to impact not only the experience of the new graduate, but to also positively impact the unit in which they work.

Doreen embodies this concept 1,000 times over, and more. As a Clinical Lead with Student Practice Education in Northern Health, Doreen works tirelessly to evolve our programming such that it is tailored to the specific needs of the New Grad.

Doreen is a quiet and unassuming bastion of wisdom and caring. With a Masters of Education under her belt, as well as years on the ground doing acute care as both an RN and paramedic, she has a wealth of real world experience and a solid educational background that she applies to her work every single day. Recently, our department held a Vision Mapping session where our team was tasked with digging deep into their "why". The question was: "in 3 years your department is being handed an award for the work that you do. What is that award for? What was the impact?"

Our entire team had goosebumps when it was Doreen's turn to speak. Humble as always, she started out quietly, "I see us getting an award, not for the transactional work we do day to day, but for the way it translates into the lives of the people we serve. We do our job so well, support people so entirely, that it impacts their transitions and experiences to the point that they root into the work, stay in the profession, and become positive advocates for the future new nurses. In fact, the award we are getting is from a Municipality. Our team is being recognized because we have impacted the healthcare system so positively that its ripple effect is felt and seen in the overall health outcomes of our community. Healthcare staff is staying in our region; and, they are healthy and engaged both at work and in community. They are providing overwhelmingly positive experiences to patients and clients, and they are resourced and resilient enough to be imagining new and powerful public health initiatives that will impact our community for years to come."

Now, certainly, that is a big hairy audacious goal, but you can tell that Doreen means it! With every task, big or small, she applies a standard of care that reflects her commitment to excellence and her overwhelming belief that the work she is doing now to support New Graduates really really matters and has potential to change the workforce (and people) for years to come. Every interaction with new hires, employed student nurses, students, her colleagues and our surrounding departments is interspersed with careful thought, empathy, wisdom and meaningful intention so that she is truly living out her values in being a champion for new grads. If anyone will get an award from a Municipality for this ground breaking work one day, it will be Doreen Stewart.

Taron Topham is a recent graduate from the University of Saskatchewan College of Nursing where he studied as a Cronin Loran Scholar.

I had the pleasure of being the Faculty Resource person (FRP) for Taron during his final 16 week practicum on 5th medicine this past year. Upon completion of this clinical course, it is expected that students will be functioning at the level of a beginning graduate nurses as found in the CNRS standards and competencies document (2013). In fact, Taron performed at the top of his class. I have facilitate this course for over 20 years and I rarely have a student that meets the exceptional criteria, which Taron has done. Besides his academic work, Taron has completed summer internships with the Oxford Center for Child Studies, Grandview Medical Clinic, Prairie Harm Reduction Services and the Saskatoon Foodbank. He has served as a volunteer firefighter in his rural community and yet still ensures a prioritization and balance with his personal - home life.

This vast experience as a volunteer combined with his academic knowledge, was appreciated during his preceptorship as he connected with patients from all walks of life and with mental health and addiction issues. Fifth medicine rarely hires new grads and even more rare, has them proceed quickly to be orientated to the Medical Surveillance Unit. Taron was hired as a new grad on the unit and in under four months was trained for the MSU. This speaks volume to the trailblazer he is.

Taron is always curious and is a life long learner. He has recently been accepted as a 2024 Rhodes Scholar and will be pursuing both a master of Science in Translational Health Sciences and a master of Science in International Health and Tropical Medicine at Oxford. His degree in International Health Tropical medicine will involve an eight week placement in a global health care research project that will involve limited research access. Taron plans to study how health care innovations can be adapted from research and used in real front line health care in a timely manner. He will also study major population health challenges in resource limited setting and how ethical approaches can be used to address these inequities.
As you can see, Taron is a RN that is making a difference !

Ellena is an excellent champion for New Graduates here at BC Children’s Hospital where she works as a Clinical Leader for New Graduate Support. Ellena has been nursing for 7 years but still recalls what it feels like to be a New Graduate and she is determined to help New Graduates today feel supported as a new professional so that they love this profession as much as she does!

Ellena tirelessly and compassionately supports New Graduates here on our site to ensure they feel seen, heard, and understood. She maintains a strong grounding in transition theory and has developed a strong framework of guiding questions and professional resources to support New Grads on our site. She not only does 1:1 check ins that are focused on the predicted transitional needs of new graduates, but she genuinely shows care to each new graduate and is invested in their success. She is a strong leader in this profession, and she leads with honesty and vulnerability as she acts as a light and a mentor for new grads here at BC Children’s Hospital! Additionally, Ellena is currently working to build a robust support network across our campus so that no new grad feels alone in this tumultuous journey of professional transition.

I want to celebrate her excellence by nominating her for this and recognizing her as a strong champion for New Graduate Nurses!