The Birth of the Canadian Academy of Nursing
Until this year, Canadian nurses interested in an opportunity to engage with leading scholars across domains of practice, teaching, policy, research and scholarship had to look outside Canadian borders or beyond nursing. Some became Fellows of the prestigious American Academy of Nursing or engaged with interdisciplinary academies such as the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
This year, 2020, was designated by the World Health Assembly as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. And, in Canada, this year saw the birth of the Canadian Academy of Nursing (CAN). Developed under the auspices of the Canadian Nurses Association (CNA), the academy is “the first pan-Canadian organization dedicated to identifying, educating, supporting, and celebrating nursing leaders across all the regulated categories and all domains of practice.” All nurses can become Members of the Academy, taking advantage of the resources it provides to “educate, empower and support nurses to lead, advocate, innovate, and influence public policy that leads to sustainable change.”
UBC School of Nursing’s own Dr. Sally Thorne was central to the development and inception of the Academy. Sally worked in partnership with Canadian Nurses Association’s leadership team, including Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Villeneuve, Executive Advisor Josette Roussel, and incoming President Tim Guest to build the concept of the Academy. In particular, as appointed Chair of the Academy Fellowship Advisory Group, she was instrumental in designing the Fellowship Program, which “celebrates the most accomplished nurses in Canada… across all domains of nursing practice.” In addition to Sally, the Canadian Nurses Association named eleven other nurse leaders from across the country, including UBC Nursing Professor Colleen Varcoe, to be the initial “Charter Fellows.” The Charter Fellows worked closely with Sally to refine the process for nomination and to create a review process for the selection of Fellows. Not only does the nomination require evidence of exemplary accomplishment and contribution to nursing throughout the candidate’s career; it also involves a statement of commitment to actively serve the Academy in various leadership and mentorship functions.
On November 20, 2020, the CNA officially welcomed the inaugural cohort of Fellows into the academy. In addition to the Charter Fellows, this inaugural cohort is comprised of 46 of Canada’s top nursing leaders in practice, policy and academia. Among that number are three UBC Nursing Professors (Elizabeth Saewyc, Annette Browne, Vicky Bungay), a UBC Nursing/Providence Health Clinical Associate Professor (Sandra Lauck), and four UBC Nursing Adjunct Professors (David Byres, Natasha Prodan-Bhalla, Michelle Trask, Becky Palmer).
This milestone in the history of Canadian nursing would not have been possible without the tireless enthusiasm of Dr. Thorne. Along with her team of Charter Fellows, she helped the Canadian Nurses Association develop the vision and put it into action even in the context of the global pandemic that derailed so much of what the Year of the Nurse and Midwife was meant to represent. Over the course of their careers, Canadian nurses contribute so much of value to our society, to knowledge, to their communities, and to the world, and we now have a meaningful way within our own country in which to celebrate and benefit from those impressive career accomplishments.
Colleen Varcoe and Sally Thorne
