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Nurse, Musician, Community Advocate, Mother Inez Jasper originally came to UBC to study science on her way to a career as a doctor. “I saw the need in my community,” she said, “And I thought being a physician would have a really positive impact.” But over the course of her studies, she changed her mind and applied to the School of Nursing. “It made more sense for me and my personality, as well as the type of care I wanted to offer.” She graduated with her BSN in 2006. The…read more

Master of Nursing-Nurse Practitioner Graduate From a small Ugandan village, to Nanaimo, BC, Caitlin Ritchie’s career has already come full circle. After graduating with a BScN in nursing from Trent University in 2007, Caitlin spent eight months in Uganda working in community health and HIV education. That experience would inform many of her future choices. “I always planned on becoming a nurse practitioner,” says Caitlin who follows in the footsteps of her mother, a nurse practitioner in Ontario. “Nurse practitioners are excellent at providing care for the marginalized, socially complex…read more

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…read more

PhD in Nursing Graduate Sherry Dahlke always had her sights set on nursing education. Born in Saskatchewan, she pursued basic qualifications in both nursing and adult education. It wasn’t until 2000 that she found her true focus and passion. While working on her BScN at the University of Victoria, she observed a lack of understanding of how to manage care for older adults. With an aging population, more and more older adults need care from healthcare professionals not used to treating this demographic. “Hospitalized older adults are at risk for…read more

Cardiovascular Nursing Research and Education Ninety percent of Canadians have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and it is one of the leading causes of death and hospitalization for Canadians. Preliminary studies have shown that nurses with specialized knowledge and skill in the care of cardiovascular patients have a tremendous impact on patient outcomes across the continuum of care. How much more could we improve the quality of life for all Canadians if we could enhance high standards of practice for cardiovascular nursing, and then ensure all nursing…read more

A Year Can Change Everything The School of Nursing is once again leading the way in its educational programmes. On January 4th we welcomed the first cohort of students into the new Master’s of Health Leadership and Policy in Seniors Care (MHLP Seniors Care) Programme. The goal of this one year graduate degree is to educate leaders in the provision of care to Seniors in order to respond to shifting demographic trends. Seniors are expected to account for nearly one-quarter of British Columbia’s population by 2036, and the proportion of…read more

New Online Support Tool for Victims of Partner Violence Nursing researcher Dr Colleen Varcoe and her team are testing a new, online support tool for Canadian women affected by partner violence. When you’re at the receiving end of partner abuse, it can be tough knowing exactly what to do or how to turn the situation around. A new online tool for women, co-developed by UBC researcher and professor Colleen Varcoe of the School of Nursing, hopes to change that. When a woman visits the iCan Plan 4 Safety website, a…read more

Engaging Adults with Dementia Dr Alison Phinney wants to better understand what it is like to be living with dementia. Since her early years in nursing, she has been reaching out in unique ways to help older adults successfully cope with the consequences of aging and disease. Now, through her research at UBC, her goal is to find ways to help those experiencing dementia continue to be engaged in life. “It’s distressingly easy for someone with dementia to stop being active in their community and lose their sense of well-being,”…read more