Master of Science in Nursing Graduate

Annie Lau calls herself a true testament to lifelong learning. Indeed, more than 20 years after graduating with her BScN from UBC, she returned to the School of
Nursing on a quest for more knowledge. With her BScN, Annie worked in a variety of nursing roles, from oncology and acute care, to public health.

While she was accepted to the Masters program in 1990, the timing wasn’t right to pursue another degree. “Life is about all the planets being lined up,” she says of the balance between her personal and professional lives. “The bachelor really equipped me for a long journey of practice.” Annie excelled as a public health nurse, receiving recognition in 2011 for her clinical competence with the CRNBC Award of Excellence in Nursing Practice. And it was through her work with families on the Downtown East Side and in the Strathcona area she found her passion and inspiration to return to UBC for her MSN.

“I started the program in 2010 and walked across the stage in the spring of 2014.” Her husband and two teenage daughters attended her convocation. The MSN required her to write a thesis, something she was not initially comfortable about. “I am glad that I didn’t have a choice,” she says of presenting her findings. “I would have never gone down that path on my own initiative.” Her mentor and supervisor, Dr. Wendy Hall, helped her to focus in on an area of particular clinical and personal interest: Parents’ experience with infant sleep safety and SIDS. “It was exciting because, as practitioners, we all know parents. But in using a research lens to look at the issues, we can validate what we’ve seen in practice.”

Annie’s perspective after a two-decade break is unique. Reflecting, she says, “I felt a sense of completion of what I set out to do in 1990. In retrospect, there is a greater purpose of completing it in 2014 than in 1990 because my research focus and career path would have been very different. What I achieved in my research study and clinical practice now hold much more meaning for my clinical, professional, and personal life.” And the time away from school also allowed her to see how the School of Nursing has changed over the years. “I was so impressed to see the growth of the program and the caliber of expertise,” she says. Her studies also confirmed her passion for public health and the need for advocacy in this area. “I came out of the experience really charged,” she says. “New opportunities in education get me going.”