Trinity Western University | School of Nursing Report 2022-2023

School of Nursing Report

30th Anniversary

2022–2023

TRINITY WESTERN UNIVERSITY

MISSION

The mission of Trinity Western University, as an arm of the Church, is to develop godly Christian leaders: positive, goaloriented university graduates with thoroughly Christian minds; growing disciples of Jesus Christ who glorify God through fulfilling the Great Commission, serving God and people in the various marketplaces of life.

VISION

Every graduate is equipped to think truthfully, act justly, and live faithfully for the good of the world and the glory of God.

SCHOOL OF NURSING VALUES

As part of a Christian liberal arts university, the TWU School of Nursing holds that the educational experience should cultivate knowledge and personal development to serve humankind. The School of Nursing is guided by distinctive core values:

• Covenantal Caring: faith-informed commitment; inestimable value of humans; compassionate response to human suffering and support for the flourishing of life.

• Collaboration: person- and family-centred care; partnerships and teamwork; shared vision.

• Culture of Inquiry: trust, respect, and generosity; curiosity, creativity, and reflection; knowledge generation and mobilization.

• Transformation: reconciliation and impact on culture; character formation; responsive values-based leadership and mentorship.

• Equity: inclusivity and hospitality; dignity and opportunity for health; moral mandate to attend to structural vulnerability and inequities.

Welcome to the School of Nursing Report, celebrating 30 years since the first nursing students entered our BSN program in 1993.

The initial vision to offer nursing education at a Christian university endures to this day and carries us forward. More than 1,000 TWU-educated nurses have entered the profession, and two additional programs (MSN and PhD) have been initiated to extend the school’s contributions to the mission and vision of the University.

The School of Nursing at TWU is unique in Canada for intentionally connecting the practice of nursing with the holistic richness of Christian spiritual beliefs. Our tagline, Think Deeply, Act Justly, and Care Generously signals the thoughtful, transformational, and compassionate approach we are known for. We aim to inspire the hearts and minds of students so they are equipped to engage with critical questions of meaning and suffering, reconciliation, and growth in our collective contribution to person-centred, equitable health care. Our vision carries our nursing faculty, who are excellent educators, skilled clinicians, humble leaders, and world-class researchers. In this report, you’ll read about some of their incredible successes and awards. Our students are also recognized for their achievements, with Grace Konrad as TWU 2022 undergraduate valedictorian, and Johan Bouwer as TWU 2023 undergraduate valedictorian.

The accomplishments of this past year must be understood in the context of the continued pandemic impacts, which have required much of our students, faculty, and leaders since 2020. The 2022/2023 academic year started with the launch of TWU’s first PhD program—the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing. In this report, you will read about this program, its first students, and the efforts made to accommodate this addition. The School of Nursing also launched a tribute project in memory of Karen Jonson, who taught for TWU in the 1990s and in the MSN program from 2010–2013. Karen passed away in Kamloops on May 6, 2022.*

As you read our 2022–2023 report, you’ll learn more about how our mission drives the innovative work that we lead every day. On behalf of the TWU School of Nursing, I offer my deep gratitude to all those who contribute to and care about our meaningful and inspired work. I hope the report is of encouragement and interest to you.

Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham, PhD Dean, School of Nursing

*Learn more about the tribute project in memory of Karen Jonson

Globally Engaged Nurses

Our School of Nursing’s focus on global health and equity prepares our students to be global citizens attentive to health determinants and illness needs both locally and globally. Foundational courses in health promotion, global health, and community health equip BSN students with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care in complex health environments. Through experiential learning activities, such as engaging with

Indigenous elders and clinical placements in Indigenous communities, students develop self-knowledge, an appreciation for traditional Indigenous knowledge, and culturally safe nursing practice. Our student body also represents the diversity of a global community. The school’s global reach is largely accomplished through its partnerships and research collaborations around the world—from the United States to Europe to Africa.

Christ-Centred Nursing

The TWU School of Nursing programs are unique in Canada as they integrate faith with learning. Our programs, pedagogies, and patient care are rooted in the Christian gospel and Jesus’ example of a transformative life of compassion and social justice. Our nursing students are encouraged to align personal values with professional goals by exploring how Christian faith can be a resource in times of health and illness for patients, families, and health-care professionals. Christ-centred nursing motivates us to care for all patients with the utmost respect and to welcome students of all backgrounds.

As an example of this approach, the retreat-based course NURS 350/NURS 607 Spirituality and the Helping Professions for undergraduate and graduate

students provides a unique opportunity to explore how religious, spiritual, and theological perspectives shape experiences of health, illness, and human suffering. The retreat course, held at Camp Stillwood and led by professors Kelly Schutt and Dr. Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham, includes a field trip to places of religious gathering along Richmond’s No. 5 Road, dubbed “Highway to Heaven,” where students learn about the diverse religions of patients within their care and their various spiritual traditions. Understanding how patients and their families perceive health, illness, and human suffering within the context of their beliefs allows our students to approach each patient individually yet equally in caring for them well with the love of Christ.

Curriculum Innovations

An invaluable part of BSN learning occurs in practice contexts, both clinically and lab based. This year, students learned in more than 30 clinical sites and four simulation and nursing labs on campus. The BSN lab curriculum is structured for a progression of learning across the four years:

• Year-one students work with skilled nurse educators, who guide them in learning foundational nursing assessment and clinical skills.

• Year-two students learn acute medical and surgical nursing skills. They also participate in simulations, where lab educators operate high-fidelity mannequins from a control room to allow students to be immersed in patient-care scenarios that simulate clinical practice.

• Year-three students learn specialty skills for application in psychiatric, community health, pediatric, and maternity settings.

INDIGENOUS INTEGRATION

TWU School of Nursing is responding to the imperative of decolonization and reconciliation, first and foremost as a Christian response and secondly as called for by key documents, such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of 2015 and the provincial professional standard, Indigenous Cultural Safety, Cultural Humility, and Anti-Racism. Initiatives for this work are overseen by the School of Nursing Indigenous Council; we are grateful for the wisdom of TWU University Siyá:m Patricia Victor Switametelót, Elder Dr. Evelyn Voyageur, Indigenous Health Research for Nursing Chair Dr. Lisa Bourque Bearskin, Luke Dandurand from Kwantlen First Nations, Joan Reiter from the First Nations Health Authority, and TWU’s Nursing Indigenous Coordinator Kathleen Lounsbury. The council also includes representatives from our nursing faculty, alumni, and students.

Laying the groundwork for the undergraduate nursing students is a six-week module of experiential learning taught by Kathleen Lounsbury. In addition, Indigenous themes are integrated throughout the curriculum in courses such as Care for the Older

• Year-four students practice complex simulations to establish motor skills, as well as cognitive skills, such as decision-making and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams.

Learning in simulation and lab settings requires the resources of faculty expertise and updated equipment and technologies. Several TWU nursing faculty are completing the CASN Simulation Certification Program. TWU Development is raising funds to update and upgrade the nursing labs, including the addition of a second high-fidelity lab.

If this is an area you’d like to support, you can give online by scanning the QR code.

• Select “Other” from the Fund Designation drop-down menu and in the “Comment” section, type “Nursing Lab Upgrade.”

Adult, Global Health, Nursing Therapeutics, and Maternity Nursing, which include Indigenous views and traditional perspectives on aging, land sovereignty, medicines, birthing practices, and a good death.

For the MSN program, TWU nursing is part of an innovative provincial initiative led by Dr. Lisa Bourque Bearskin (University of Victoria) with five other universities in offering an Indigenous Nursing program. The initiative combines high-level professional education with community-driven interventions designed to meet the unique needs of Indigenous Peoples living in rural and remote areas. Indigenous nurses interested in this program are invited to contact Eric.Fehr@twu.ca

TWU’s First PhD Program

Trinity Western’s Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Nursing program launched in September 2022. An excited group of nurses, nursing faculty, and University leaders gathered to welcome the first cohort of TWU’s PhD in Nursing students. The incoming class of four students launched their studies with a oneweek residency at the Langley campus.

The residency provided the space in which to develop relationships, receive an orientation to the program, meet the faculty, learn about research by TWU nursing faculty, and begin the first course, NURS 710 Advanced Nursing Philosophy, taught by Drs. Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham, Darlaine Jantzen, and Lynn Musto.

The students found the residency integral to their bonding as a cohort and a source of inspiration, motivation, and encouragement. After the residency, studies transitioned to weekly online seminars. PhD student Ibolya Agoston reflects on the residency, “Following our week in Langley, I came home with the reassurance that I am on a long journey, but I am not alone; I am accompanied by caring, competent, like-minded scholarly colleagues and faculty. We are all invested in this journey—all the way to the finish line.”

The School of Nursing welcomed its second cohort of PhD students, who began with a residency at TWU’s Laurentian Leadership Centre in Ottawa in May 2023.

Students from around the province

The students come from across the province and have brought with them their unique expertise Ibolya Agoston is the regional director of education and training for Northern Health, working out of Fort St. John. Kathleen Lounsbury is an instructor in

TWU’s School of Nursing, where she coordinates Indigenous integration. Ruhina Rana is on faculty at Douglas College as research coordinator and clinical placement coordinator. Cathy Son is a critical care nurse and faculty member at TWU. Andrea Orr and Karen Larochelle are nursing faculty at TWU, teaching pediatrics and perinatal nursing, respectively. Stephanie Svensson is a mental health nurse in Metro Vancouver, and Ashley Da Costa holds a position in health-care planning, design, construction, and commissioning with Interior Health.

A unique program

Dr. Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham, dean of the School of Nursing and lead for the PhD program comments, “With the PhD program, TWU nursing is building into the future for the good of the world and the glory of God. We are unique in Canada as the only faith-based nursing doctoral program, coalescing a growing cadre of nurses who desire to engage in the deep theological and philosophic traditions that underpin health and healing, sickness and suffering.”

PhD student Cathy Son appreciates TWU’s Christian ethos, expressing, “Completing my PhD at Trinity Western University means that I belong to the Christian community, where my differences are respected, challenges are cared for, and my vision will be encouraged and renewed.”

Learn

Following our week in Langley, I came home with the reassurance that I am on a long journey, but I am not alone; I am accompanied by caring, competent, like-minded scholarly colleagues and faculty. We are all invested in this journey—all the way to the finish line.

Graduating Class of 2023

Congratulations to BSN graduate Johan Bouwer, who addressed the audience as the 2023 valedictorian. Daniel Samudio was awarded the Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of British Columbia Professional Award. At the pinning ceremony, also held during graduation weekend, 56 BSN graduands received the TWU nursing pin, with several of them being pinned by nurses in their families. On the morning prior to commencement, nursing faculty gathered

with MSN graduands and their families for a reception to honour their accomplishments, especially their capstone projects. Graduation marks the achievement of all graduate requirements—the end of a rigorous academic and applied program—and an open door to new opportunities to live out one’s passions and commitments for the good of the world and the glory of God.

Joining more than 650 other graduates, 56 BSN and 26 MSN graduates were celebrated at the 2023 commencement ceremonies.

We’re taught by worldrenowned academics—the best of the best—and you know them.

Johan Bouwer (‘23) was born in South Africa and moved to Canada with his family as a child. Johan first considered a future in the ministry, but he felt God draw him into the field of health care. This calling came both through his family’s rich history in the field and after realizing his love for serving people in a practical way. Johan met his wife in the nursing program at TWU, so the family health-care tradition continues. He recently completed his final year in the TWU BSN program.

We sat down with Johan to ask him a few questions about his experience in the program.

Q: Why did you choose to pursue nursing and why at TWU?

A: I have always felt that God has gifted me with helping people in vulnerable circumstances. I really love the combination of the science behind why people are sick but also getting to be there for people in their vulnerable circumstances.

I am a follower of Jesus, and I really want to incorporate that into everything I do. I thought Trinity Western was the place that could equip me to live out my faith practically in serving people. I don’t have to hide that when I ask questions on how I love someone practically or care for someone.

I love relationships—that’s how I learn. At TWU, I can talk to my profs, and they care about me. They want to see me become more than just a nurse; they want to see me become someone that’s a really effective follower of Jesus in the health-care field.

Q: Tell me about the project you’re working on in your program.

A: It’s called the Planetary Health Report Card. It basically looks at how we can integrate planetary health into our curriculum and considers how well we are doing that. It’s about educating health-care professionals and learning how we can advocate for environmental initiatives that will later affect human health and the health of all species.

There are five different areas: curriculum, interdisciplinary research, community outreach and advocacy, support for student-led initiatives, and campus sustainability. We are the first nursing school in Canada to have done it. It’s been great creating connections with different schools.

Q: What about this project piqued your interest the most?

A: My mentor, Dr. Barbara Astle, led me into this project. I have worked very closely with her and with members of other disciplines to see what they’re doing. One thing that’s really piqued my interest in this project is seeing how much can be accomplished if we really work in a transdisciplinary way. The collaboration in this project has really bled into my work at the hospital in my preceptorship. It’s helped me see how important it is, for instance, to work with the physicians and the physiotherapists and the occupational therapists to help a patient get out of the hospital in a way that really works for them.

Q: How do you link your research project with what you’re learning in the classroom?

A: I’ve seen how I need to connect with people from different disciplines to understand or solve an issue. I’ve learned the need for that in the classroom regarding health care. And then in the clinical setting, this project has given me tools and practice on how to collaborate with different people who have a different specialty and way of looking at things than I do.

Q: What’s been a highlight for you in the BSN program and in the School of Nursing as a whole?

A: This may sound super cliché, but honestly, just relationships. We know all of our profs and our classmates, and that’s what makes this experience so special. I think we all have that time in our nursing journey when we feel like we don’t know what we’re doing, and we feel ill-equipped to really take on this role, and you have someone that walks beside you that says, “You can do this. You have what it takes.” And especially having them tell you that you’re here for a reason: God has brought you here. That’s been incredible. We’re taught by world-renowned academics—the best of the best—and you know them. These classmates and profs know your experience better than anyone else. Not everyone knows what it’s like to clean up a bed pan that’s spilled! Those are nursing things only; they’re things that you can connect about and even laugh about together.

My professors are so in tune with what I need and what my goals are, and they really tailor to that.

When Meghann Buyco (‘23) left the Philippines for Canada at 15, she had no idea that Trinity Western’s School of Nursing was about to become such an integral part of her future. Now, with both BSN and MSN under her belt, having completed her master’s degree in June 2023, Meghann already has two jobs in the field. She is a registered nurse, clinical lead at a residential care facility and a radiation therapy nurse at a cancer agency. She is also the project coordinator for an international research project on albinism and human rights.

We sat down with Meghann to ask her a few questions about her experience in the MSN program.

Q: Why did you choose to pursue nursing and why at TWU?

A: Being Filipino, it’s kind of ingrained in your blood to either be a doctor or a nurse! What helped solidify the decision for me was being able to take care of my grandfather, who had cancer and dementia. I like that aspect of caring for people—being there even though they no longer know you or doing things for them that they’re having difficulty with. Something about that drew me in. The other thing was that after I had graduated from high school, I watched my mom give birth to my brother. That was also a solidifying factor—just watching how the nurses cared for my mom and my brother. It’s a relationship that is unlike any other profession. It’s such a unique bond.

I did my undergrad at Trinity Western, so it was a no-brainer to do my master’s here. I think I would echo what Johan said about relationships. That’s what has made my experience. My professors are so in tune with what I need and what my goals are, and they really tailor to that. When I go to their office, for instance, they’ll ask, “Have you eaten? Did you have time for yourself this weekend? Did you call your mom?” They know you. They know what’s going on in your life, so that is something very special.

Q: Tell me about the project you’re working on in your program.

A: I am one hundred percent Filipino, and the reason I am pale and have blond hair is that I have albinism. I was invited to join a research team on albinism and human rights led by Dr. Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham and Dr. Barbara Astle. They’re co-leads for a research project on mothering, albinism, and human rights. They were approached by the UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism to take on this research project for their expertise in global health, health equity, and spirituality. I was invited to work on the project as a research assistant.

Some of the issues that people with albinism have been facing, especially in Africa, include quite harmful beliefs and practices. For instance, the body parts of a person with albinism put into a potion would be good luck or would bring good fortune. When I first read that, I thought it must be something that had happened in the past, but actually, it’s something that has heightened in the past decade.

Q: What about this project piqued your interest the most?

A: Growing up in the Philippines, my circumstance was quite different. We definitely didn’t have those beliefs, and that was really what piqued my interest. I decided that for my thesis, I would focus on siblings impacted by albinism. People might experience discrimination because they have a family member who has albinism, so I really wanted give voice to those who haven’t been heard before. I drew from my experience as I have two siblings who also have albinism. We’ve had a great, supportive relationship, but really, what’s that like for persons with albinism where those beliefs exist? Do their families follow those beliefs as well, or do they protect them?

Q: How do you link your research project with what you’re learning in the classroom?

A: I love that for my research, it’s also about the global health concerns and those who are most vulnerable. In our classes, we talk a lot about that—who the most vulnerable are . . . the voices that are unheard. Dr. Astle emphasizes the Sustainable Development Goals, “Reach the furthest behind first.” This includes persons with albinism.

We also learn about policy, and that has really shown me how nurses can be incorporated into these more complex concerns— not just locally but globally. Nursing is unique because we have this relationship with the population as health professionals and strong leaders. We need to use that voice to share the stories of those who haven’t been heard yet.

Q: What’s been a highlight for you in the MSN program and in the School of Nursing as a whole?

A: For one, my cohort. The master’s is a bit different in that most of our courses are online, so we’ve had to develop different ways to collaborate. I’ve gotten to really know them, and we support each other. For instance, if we all had papers due by midnight, we were all texting each other, saying “Are you almost done?” or “Wake up, you still have to work on this!” So, the student connection was one of the highlights for me. My professors are also a highlight. I love my professors. They are still able to create that personal touch even with online learning.

WHEN LIFE AND WORK COLLIDE

Pediatric nurse and TWU assistant professor Dr. Lyndsay MacKay beams when she talks about her TWU School of Nursing experience so far. Lyndsay has been teaching in the MSN program for just over a year, and though the majority of her interaction with the faculty and students is online, she is enamoured with the genuine care, depth of character, and academic excellence she’s been witnessing within the school.

After years of working and conducting research at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, Lyndsay discovered that the population she loves to take care of the most is infants and toddlers with medical complexities. “Those families get really worn out, and it’s a long journey,” Lyndsay explains, adding, “It’s the population that we could do a lot better taking care of.” It is these families that she develops strong relationships with in clinical practice and seeks to help through her research.

Lyndsay’s pediatric expertise adds to the depth of academic and experiential knowledge that already exists within the TWU School of Nursing faculty. Much of her research focuses on the importance of mental health and the developing brain in infants. Working in this unit, Lyndsay witnessed the frustration and intense stress long-term families endure. It was when caring for infants and toddlers with medical complexities and their families that she realized she didn’t have a clear understanding of what these families were going through or how to help them. This led her to enter her PhD studies and on a quest to find out how to meet the needs of families in such circumstances.

Then she had two premature babies of her own.

Though Lyndsay’s boys were not medically complex, they were hospitalized for a couple of months, placing Lyndsay directly within the circumstances of the families she was so desperately trying to understand and help. “Being a mom—on the other side,” she says, “I feel like the Lord has put me on this path.” Her desire to help these families was met by her experiencing some of what they go through, enriching her program of research and her passion for it.

Embracing good leadership

Lyndsay uses the phrase “small but mighty” to describe the TWU nursing faculty. With a soft laugh as if some specific

memory has come to mind, Lyndsay admits, “It’s a very special faculty. I’ve never come across anything like it.” Lyndsay has benefitted greatly from the opportunity to co-teach with those steeped in teaching experience. “The way that they mentor is very uplifting,” she describes, and explains further how generous her mentor, Dr. Barbara Astle, is with her time and expertise— something that has impacted Lyndsay as she continues her own research and seeks to hone how to integrate faith with teaching content. Mentorship and leadership in the school have left a deep impression on Lyndsay. Another glowing smile finds its way across Lyndsay’s face as she remarks, “Sheryl, our dean—I always say all bosses should be like her. I just can’t say enough how lovely she is, and she is a great leader.”

The way the MSN courses are designed immediately caught Lyndsay’s attention. “It’s brilliant,” she says. As an instructor taking on new courses, there’s no need to design courses from scratch, yet there’s room to be creative. Evidence of how thoughtfully courses are designed lies in the students’ learning, and in response to that, Lyndsay comments, “The quality of the papers I just marked is phenomenal.”

No need to compromise

The integration of faith in learning is important to Lyndsay as her Christian faith is foundational to who she is, and nursing was a calling she faithfully responded to. TWU’s approach of considering how one’s Christian faith informs scholarship and teaching, allowing Christian instructors to be fully present in their teaching, immediately resonated with Lyndsay.

Not having attended faith-based institutions herself, Lyndsay deeply appreciates the well-woven nature of Christian principles in the program content and the creation of a safe learning space for Christian and non-Christian students alike. “The students are lovely, appreciative, and eager to learn,” she says with a gentle nodding of her head. With her first year under her belt, Lyndsay looks forward to continuing her journey at TWU and seeing how God will use her.

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FACULTY RESEARCH –

CANADA RESEARCH CHAIR DR. RICK SAWATZKY

TWU nursing’s Canada Research Chair program of research on Person-Centred Outcomes is partnering with several Canadian organizations to support developing a culturally aligned digital health data platform for First Nations. The research project named the “Social Determinants and Quality of Life Measurement Framework for Indigenous Digital Health Systems,” which started in fall 2022, is led by faculty supervisors Dr. Richard Sawatzky and Dr. Kendra Rieger. Research team members include PhD fellow Kathleen Lounsbury (Namgis First Nation), post-doctoral fellow Ayumi Sasaki, and MSN student Monica Friesen.

The significance of this project is that it illuminates Indigenous peoples’ perspectives and brings Indigenous experiences to bear upon the design of health care and technological supports. The project is Indigenous led, meaning the industry partners and the communities being served are Indigenous. These direct connections provide the researchers with confidence that their work will produce practical, actionable outcomes that make a real difference in the lives of First Nations peoples.

FACULTY SCHOLARSHIP TOPICS

Global Health & Indigenous Health Scholarship within this topic examines the advancing role of nursing in global health and Indigenous health in nursing practice.

As an example: TWU nursing is responding to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Calls for Justice by supporting nursing and education students to engage with the report at three Canadian universities (TWU, University of Victoria, University of Manitoba). TWU’s Dr. Kendra Rieger and University of Victoria’s Dr. Lisa Bourque Bearskin, along with an amazing team, including TWU Siyá:m Patti Victor Switametelót and SON faculty members Dr. Barb Astle, Dr. Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham, and Kathleen Lounsbury, received a prestigious SSHRC Insight Development Grant to carry out this important and timely work. They intend to address Indigenousspecific systemic racism in health and education and advance arts-based approaches to facilitate the development of antiracist views. Through the co-creation of arts-based responses, a blogsite, a case book for educators, visual infographics, academic

Trinity Western University acknowledges and expresses gratitude for all project partners. Mustimuhw Information Solutions Inc. is leading the project. Project partners include the Cowichan Tribes of BC, Chief Red Bear Children’s Lodge, Cambian, Canada Health Infoway, First Nations Digital Health Ontario, First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba, LifeLabs Medical Laboratory Services, SE Health, and Digital Supercluster.

articles, and an expanded research team, new paths will be forged for emerging professionals to better understand the impacts of colonialism and develop cultural humility, an essential precursor to culturally safe spaces.

Scan to read the MMIWG report

Person-Centred Care

Scholarship within this topic focuses on advancing the science of person-centredness in health care.

TWU nursing teaches person-centred care to achieve effective, quality health care. With a patient-centred care approach, individual needs, relationships, and perspectives are at the forefront. Thus, health-care providers focus on what matters to patients while implementing patient-centred assessment tools in their practice.

As an example: Led by TWU’s Dr. Angela Wolff, a team of researchers has been working with health-care providers to incorporate patient-centred measurement (PCM—also known as patient-reported outcomes) into routine practice. The team is developing a resource guide for and about clinicians. Near completion, the guide focuses on the use of PCM to facilitate shared decision making between providers and patients and provides information about the needs of clinicians to incorporate PCMs into practice. In addition, Dr. Wolff has been working with a team in community mental health to sustain the use of quality-of-life assessments by applying information from the resource guide. She recently had the opportunity to share her work with an international audience in Prague, Czech Republic. Along with co-presenters from the UK, USA, and Canada, Dr. Wolff led a three-hour workshop entitled “Designing training and education to facilitate sustained provider adoption of patient-reported outcomes in routine practice.”

to conceptualize the parameters of the nursing profession’s covenant with society and translate covenantal caring for a broader audience. The team is seeking to re-conceptualize covenantal caring and to begin to extend the concept to be inclusive for people of secular and diverse faith traditions through a two-staged think tank that will bring together research team members, ethicists, philosophers, theologians, and sociologists. There is a lot of enthusiasm for this important and timely work that will enrich TWU nursing curricula.

Nursing Education & Professional Practice

Scholarship within this topic focuses on advancing nursing education and professional practice in the discipline of nursing.

Philosophy, Ethics & Spirituality

Scholarship within this topic examines nursing implications of how religion and spirituality relate to quality of life; coping and meaning in health and illness; health outcomes and equity; professional nursing practice; or health services provision.

As an example: Covenantal caring is one of the distinctive core values of TWU nursing and can be defined as a Christian faithinformed commitment to see an inestimable value of humans, as well as compassionately responding to human suffering and supporting the flourishing of life. During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses shouldered remarkable responsibility, providing faithful care with thin or missing resources and exposed themselves to the virus while society sheltered at home. Support for this role typically derives from nurses’ duty to care, which can be described as covenantal.

Dorolen Wolfs, along with Dr. Darlaine Jantzen, Dr. Lynn Musto, and Dr. Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham, received a research grant from the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) to bring together an interdisciplinary team of scholars

As examples: Dr. Lyndsay Mackay, with nursing faculty Heather Meyerhoff, Andrea Orr, Janice Kamke, and Dr. Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham recently received an SSHRC Internal Grant from TWU for their project “Exploring trust among parents of hospitalized medically fragile infants and pediatric nurses.” TWU nursing faculty Dr. Landa Terblanche is bringing her psychiatric nursing expertise to another project on how psychological coaching benefits preceptorship students. Also focused on higher education, Dr. Mi-Yeon Kim is evaluating the relationship between coping strategies and psychological distress in university and college students of the Middle East. Recently, the Canadian Association Schools of Nursing (CASN) announced a Health Canada Agreement for a New Nurse Residency Program. Dr. Angela Wolff is co-investigator on this multi-year project, working with project lead Judy Boychuk Duchscher (TRU). Also supporting nursing education and professional practice, Dr. Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham and TWU faculty Dr. Barb Astle, Dr. Kendra Rieger, and Dr. Landa Terblanche are partnering with an international, interdisciplinary research-advocacy-policy network on “A Human Rights and Equity-Oriented Response to the Birth Stories of Families Impacted by Albinism in SubSaharan Africa: Intersectoral Partnerships for Enhanced Health Professions’ Education.”

Scan for more information a bout the Health Care Provider Resource guide

Samantha Barkman (nee Schroeder) feels the BSN program prepared her for a career in nursing by going “beyond the basics.”

Samantha, who graduated from the BSN program in 2019, is a registered nurse at an outpatient program in Toronto for people who are living with and are at risk for HIV. She credits the high-quality education she obtained through the BSN program for preparing her to work with vulnerable populations and for teaching her how to relate to others. Even in her very first nursing position after graduation, on a specialized cardiac unit, Samantha notes she felt confident in her clinical skills having completed diverse lab and clinical courses.

A highlight of Samantha’s time at TWU was being the nursing representative for the TWU Student Association. Samantha values the time she spent working as a team with students and faculty and appreciates the opportunities she had to work with committees to support the student body. She believes these experiences prepared her for working with interdisciplinary teams as a nurse.

Samantha encourages current BSN students to recognize the values and beliefs that they bring to clinical interactions, as well as those that patients and clients bring. While she remembers discussing the importance of grounding oneself in the BSN program, it wasn’t until after graduation that Samantha really started to recognize just how key these reflective pieces were to her practice.

Samantha believes the BSN program is uniquely positioned to teach students how to incorporate faith into their practice. As a student, she appreciated how faith was integrated into each course throughout the program and how faculty invested in her personal and professional development.

. . . faith was integrated into each course throughout the program . . .

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SAMANTHA BARKMAN (NEE SCHROEDER)

GWEN WILLIAMS

Gwen Williams felt right at home during her MSN studies at TWU. After graduating from the MSN program in 2020 as the University’s graduate valedictorian, Gwen pursued clinical nurse educator roles to advance her career and utilize the knowledge she had gained from graduate studies. Gwen is currently a clinical nurse educator on an inpatient cardiac unit in Toronto. Beyond being a nurse, Gwen is also a children’s book author and has published a book entitled “I Want More” about her grandson Romeo’s love for cars.

Reflecting on her time at TWU, Gwen speaks highly of the dedicated and caring professors who teach in the MSN program. She appreciated how professors would pray with the class as well as how supportive and intentional they were in engaging with students. Gwen valued studying at a faith-affiliated university, noting she felt she was in the right place and somewhere she belonged.

A highlight of the program for Gwen were the residencies at the TWU campus and Laurentian Leadership Centre in Ottawa. The residencies offered opportunities to meet and interact with professors and classmates as well as establish relationships. These relationships provided Gwen with much of the support she needed to successfully complete the program.

Gwen encourages current MSN students to seek social support and surround themselves with people who will help them achieve their goals. Whether it be other MSN students, professors, family, or friends, Gwen stresses that it is important to find people who can provide encouragement, and when facing challenges, can remind you of why you started graduate studies in the first place. As Gwen notes, “support makes a big difference.”

Support makes a big difference.

CLINICAL PARTNER (ZION PARK MANOR)

With Canada’s aging population and the global nursing shortage, a positive learning experience in long-term care can open students’ minds and hearts to meaningful careers in gerontology nursing, and this motivates TWU alumna and Zion Park Manor Care Coordinator, Erin Fitzpatrick (BSN Class of ‘06).

Featuring Erin (alumna)

At Zion, we are joined with purpose and vision to improve the quality of life for our residents in a Christian atmosphere. I love what I do, and I love that I get to share what we do at Zion with TWU nursing students. The students engage with residents who have been impacted by many comorbidities with varying degrees of physical and cognitive impairments. My hope is that we teach the students that despite all these complex disease processes, there is a person at the centre who is deserving of basic compassion and human dignity.

I believe that as a community, we need to put forth more value, respect, and care for our residents in long-term care. Residents in long-term care are some of the most vulnerable people that nursing students encounter in their learning journey, and those we serve at Zion are a diverse group of individuals who come from all walks of life. It is vital that as nurses, we make our residents feel safe and worthy, without discrimination or judgement.

Clinical learning is the bedrock of TWU’s undergraduate nursing program. Research has shown how strong partnerships create effective and meaningful learning environments and the culture of the practice setting is the most influential factor affecting student learning.

The School of Nursing works with approximately 40 placement partners (hospitals, long-term care, and community agencies) any given year. Many of these partnerships are longstanding, such as the one with Zion Park Manor, a local complex-care facility that incorporates the Eden Alternative™ philosophy of care, focusing on eliminating loneliness, helplessness, and boredom from the lives of seniors by creating opportunities, meaningful engagement, and spontaneity.

TWU nursing students in first and second year have rich practice education experiences in long-term care settings such as Zion Park Manor, learning about relationships and communication with older adults, enhancing quality of life, providing safe physical care, and developing organizational skills, nursing leadership, and ethics to foster equity in elder care.

Through building relationships with residents, witnessing teamwork, and learning how to offer respectful care to patients who are structurally vulnerable, TWU nursing students begin to take on the professional role of the nurse in long-term care clinical placements. Clinical partners such as Zion Park Manor are true partners in educating the next generation of nurses.

I love what I do, and I love that I get to share what we do at Zion with TWU nursing students.

RESEARCH PARTNER (UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG’S CENTRE FOR PERSON-CENTRED CARE)

TWU and our School of Nursing benefit from many research collaborations with local, national, and international partners. Over the last 14 years, Dr. Rick Sawatzky (TWU School of Nursing) has collaborated with Dr. Joakim Öhlén from the University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-centred Care (GPCC) in Sweden. Established in 2010 with support from the Swedish government, the GPCC now consists of over 150 national and international researchers from varying fields of study who have joined together to form a national centre for personcentred care. The centre seeks to prevent and reduce suffering as well as strengthen the efficiency of health care through personcentred care.

Drs. Sawatzky and Öhlén have partnered on many projects over the years to advance the foundations, applications, and measurement of person-centredness in health care. Their collaboration opens many possibilities for exchange as related to graduate education and postdoctoral supervision, which TWU PhD students are benefitting from. This summer, TWU nursing faculty member and PhD nursing student, Cathy Son, completed an internship in Gothenburg to study about person-centredness and participate in the activities of the centre.

Drs. Sawatzky and Öhlén have partnered on many projects over the years to advance the foundations, applications, and measurement of personcentredness in health care.

Home coming

SEPT. 20–21, 2024

1998

We are excited to welcome alumni and their families back to campus for a memorable, fun-filled time to reconnect with friends, fellow alumni, and faculty. Come relive your TWU past while catching a glimpse of our exciting vision for the future.

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Learn more about our programs

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)

With a whole-person approach to learning, small class sizes, awardwinning instructors, simulation labs, and clinical experience, the BSN program will equip you for a meaningful and fulfilling future.

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Learn from world-renowned professors, and work closely alongside them in fascinating areas of research. Grow personal and professional relationships with your cohort as you prepare to become a leader in the field of nursing.

Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD)

Join a community of nurse scholars preparing to fill much-needed leadership positions in educational or health-care organizations.

CONTACT US

Our admissions team is ready to answer any questions you have about TWU. Once you apply, you’ll be assigned a specific counsellor to help you along every step of the way.

t: 604.513.2019 or 1-888-GO-TO-TWU

e. admissions@twu.ca twu.ca