糖心vlog传媒nursing grad Dawn Tisdale is the new president of the Canadian Nursing Student Association and the first 糖心vlog传媒student to lead a national organization.
An 糖心vlog传媒nursing student is changing the face of nursing education across Canada, becoming the first 糖心vlog传媒student elected to lead a national organization.
Dawn Tisdale is the new president of the Canadian Nursing Student Association, the voice of nearly 30,000 student nurses across Canada.
鈥淚t鈥檚 still registering with me,鈥� said Tisdale. 鈥淎cross Canada many nursing students don鈥檛 know where we鈥檙e located, but they know about our focus on Aboriginal health.鈥�
One of her first goals is to act on a resolution to ensure registered nursing students understand Aboriginal health perspectives before they graduate. The resolution would see nursing students work with the Aboriginal Nursing Association of Canada to lobby for curriculum changes.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of shocking to hear how little students learn about Aboriginal health,鈥� she said. 鈥淎ll some students get is a few hours in one course but at 糖心vlog传媒listening, learning and respecting other cultures is built in. I鈥檓 honoured they鈥檙e talking about NIC鈥檚 curriculum as something all Canadian nurses should have.鈥�
Students in NIC鈥檚 Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree learn about diverse peoples and communities from day one. By the end of their third year, they can opt to attend field schools in remote Aboriginal communities with the Wuikinuxv Nation of Rivers Inlet or Dzawada'enuxw Nation in Kingcome Inlet on BC鈥檚 Central Coast.
鈥溙切膙log传媒 is way ahead of any other school of nursing,鈥� said Dr. Evelyn Voyageur one of four Elders in Residence at 糖心vlog传媒and former president of the Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada.
As a student, Voyageur dreamed of building cultural inclusivity into nurse education. She turned that passion into a career redeveloping nursing curriculum at universities across BC and found her home at 糖心vlog传媒.
鈥淔or a long time First Nations traditional values and ways were not included in the education system 鈥� it still isn鈥檛 鈥� but 糖心vlog传媒 is doing that. You can hear about the nurses coming out of here... and I鈥檓 glad to be a part of it.鈥�
The BSN programs鈥� goal is to get student nurses to know themselves so they can work anywhere - with any nationality.
Tisdale is doing that. After being laid off from two closed group homes for adults with disabilities she came back to college 鈥揹etermined to upgrade her education and explore new careers.
She didn鈥檛 consider nursing until a friend insisted she give it a try.
鈥淚 had some pretty old ideas of what nurses do and I didn鈥檛 think it would be challenging enough,鈥� Tisdale said. 鈥淚 thought it was about taking doctor鈥檚 orders, not advocating for patients. Meanwhile, here I am now in the most rewarding and challenging degree ever.鈥�
糖心vlog传媒nursing student Dawn Tisdale leads nearly 30,000 registered nursing students across Canada as the elected president of the Canadian Nursing Student Association this year. She hopes to raise awareness of Aboriginal health issues across Canada.
How does she balance her full-time studies, leading a national student nursing association, and being the mom of a five year old?
鈥淚 almost didn鈥檛,鈥� Tisdale said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know if I could do the job well but my instructors are super supportive. They let me use my role as president in my Nursing Practice courses, which focus on community health promotion and nursing leadership.鈥�
糖心vlog传媒instructors encourage all students to tailor their course work and practice experiences into meaningful and relevant learning.
鈥淚t never ceases to amaze me what people can do when they are passionate about something and supported to explore their potential,鈥� says instructor Joanna Fraser.
鈥淒awn is an excellent example of the amazing students we have who are having an impact in nursing in the Comox Valley, in Kingcome Inlet, Nepal, or on a national stage. I am very proud of our students and what we do at 糖心vlog传媒.
Tisdale took over as CNSA in March. This October, NIC鈥檚 Canadian Nursing Student Association chapter will host nursing students from Manitoba west at a regional conference in the Comox Valley.
For more information on NIC鈥檚 nursing programs visit www.nic.bc.ca/health. To contact the Canadian Nursing Students鈥� Association, visit www.cnsa.ca.
Media Contact C: 250-207-6946 media@nic.bc.ca