Mary Ellen Gurnham is a registered nurse (retired status) who retired in May of 2019 from the position of Senior Director of Interprofessional Practice and Learning at Nova Scotia Health Authority. Mary Ellen’s career spanned 44 years, holding positions in clinical practice, operational management, and professional practice and learning. In February of 2021, Mary Ellen came out of retirement to join the public health leadership team responsible for the mass immunization and vaccine outreach program for Central Zone.
Mary Ellen has experience in strategic planning, policy development and implementation, change leadership, fostering internal and external partnerships, and program development, implementation and evaluation. Mary Ellen managed a variety of programs and portfolios: clinical care programs in oncology, critical care, peri-operative and medical/surgical specialty areas; professional practice; clinical professional development; post entry-level education; simulation learning; student and learner placement; library services; Yarmouth School of Nursing and the School of Health Sciences.
Mary Ellen has a track record of providing support and leadership to advance evidence-based interprofessional patient-centred care. Highly collaborative with demonstrated ability to develop partnerships, foster trust, and motivate interdisciplinary teams toward a common vision. Expertise in implementation and evaluation of complex change processes as well as patient safety and quality initiatives. Mary Ellen developed a strong, integrated, collaborative professional practice and learning team across Nova Scotia Health, capable of providing innovative programs and services in a complex matrix organization.
Graduated from St. Martha’s School of Nursing in 1981. Retired in 2019. I have practised as a Registered Nurse for almost 40 years. My nursing career took me across four Canadian provinces, and abroad to France and the Dominican Republic. I had the privilege to work in various multifaceted nursing roles. I achieved additional diplomas and certifications in three specialty areas: Mental Health, Occupational Health, and Research. As a Psychiatric Nurse 3/5 of my career, I worked on inpatient units, outpatient in the community, Specialty PROGRAM Early Psychosis, Emergency Psychiatry, and assessment and bed management in the ER. As an Occupational Health Nurse, I worked in private Industry, and in municipal and federal government. As a Research Nurse, I worked on clinical drug trials with adults and youth.
I have a strong Nursing focus, teaching, coaching and mentoring, and in patient advocacy and health care system navigation. My work-life balance includes being a certified yoga Instructor, community volunteering, and active outdoor living and travel. I am a lifelong learner. I am so grateful to work in this role as a nurse mentor with IPPL to connect and share my wealth of experiential knowledge.
Shannon completed her Bachelor of Arts in Developmental Psychology in 2002 and her Bachelor of Nursing in 2005 in Fredericton, N.B. After enjoying three years of acute care on a Neuro/Stroke/Medicine Unit in Halifax, Shannon embarked on a new path as the first Community Mental Health Nurse hired with the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) as part of the Community Mental Health Initiative. This role was created to assist men and women with severe mental illnesses and addictions successfully reintegrate into society, with the goal of supporting clients to access housing, employment and provincial health resources following federal Correctional sentences. As the only RN hired in this new community role in Nova Scotia, Shannon was given the unique opportunity to develop and refine the role, offering Nursing knowledge and perspective in her collaborations with parole officers and community corrections staff. Shannon served on many committees and advocacy groups during her time with Corrections, including Direction 180 Methadone Clinic, and travelled the Maritimes as a Regional Trainer for Mental Health Awareness/Interventions. Shannon completed her Masters of Nursing (Teaching Focus) in 2013.
Shannon has a passion for supporting other nurses. She started as a Nurse Mentor with the Interprofessional Practice and Learning Department in 2023.
In her spare time, Shannon is busy hustling to the hockey rink and soccer field with two amazing young boys, two very lazy cats and her 150 lb Newfoundland dog, Chloe.
Elizabeth joined the Mentorship Program with Nova Scotia Health in the fall of 2022. Elizabeth has been a nurse for 35 years and retired two years ago, but her passion for supporting nurses drew her to this role as a mentor. She worked in areas including Medicine, Surgery, Oncology, Intensive and Emergency Care throughout her career, working in Halifax for 10 years before moving with her family to Truro. Elizabeth worked at the Colchester East Hants Health Centre on a medical unit, but over time was drawn to critical care. She joined the Critical Care Float team, while at the same time completing her Critical Care Course (CCNP). She ended up working in the Emergency Department which she loved for several years. She then accepted a role as Clinical Nurse Educator at Colchester East Hants Health Centre and finally moved to a Professional Practice Lead role for the Northern Zone before retiring.
Elizabeth participated in several zonal and provincial committees to support professional practice, diversity, and inclusion. She helped develop and facilitate the Nova Scotia Health Preceptor Workshop and Interprofessional Practice Orientation, and a new manager onboarding course to name a few. She also supported Diversity and Inclusion at the zonal level by networking with others to enhance staff awareness of marginalized communities. This enhanced her career as a nurse through networking opportunities and by being part of a community of people whose passion, enthusiasm and drive for change enhance health care.
In her personal life, family is everything. Elizabeth has been married to her husband Mark for 34 years and they have two wonderful boys, one working in Labrador and the other working in Truro, so life is very busy. Sophie is the beloved family dog, an 11-year-old golden retriever who loves longs walks and belly rubs. Elizabeth loves getting outdoors, spending time by the ocean, and reading.
Lesa has over 45 years' nursing experience in medicine, geriatrics and long-term care, home care, wound care, palliative care, ostomy care, outpatient clinics, and COVID-19 vaccination clinics. Her education includes a diploma leading to RN from the Victoria General Hospital School of Nursing, the nursing refresher program from Grant MacEwan Community College, a certificate in Gerontological Nursing from St. Francis Xavier University, and the Enterostomal Therapy Nursing Education Program (ostomy, wound, & continence care) from the Canadian Association for Enterostomal Therapy. Non-nursing education for Lesa includes a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Prince Edward Island with a thesis in Nursing History. Other BA credits obtained were in English, History, Women's Studies, and Religion. Some credits towards a Master of Arts in Women's Studies from Mount Saint Vincent University were also received.
Since the mid-1980s, Lesa’s special interests are in writing for children and adults with many publications in newspapers, magazines, and newsletters, including The Canadian Nurse and Canadian Living. Her children’s picture book is called Nana Moon. In the writing field, she is an experienced editor and article writer. Other hobbies for Lesa are reading, genealogy, gardening, crossword puzzles, yard sales, history, crafts, and sewing. A husband, two children, three grandchildren, and a step-family are the major part of her world.
“I am a good listener, a non-judgmental advocate, and a creative problem-solver. My friends include artists, teachers, and crafty folks. My sense of humor is well-developed and good jokes are always appreciated. I am approachable and caring. Teaching and assisting new people in the beginning of their journey makes me happy. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and pick the brains of more experienced people. That’s how you learn.”
Jacqueline graduated from the Victoria General School of Nursing and has 38 years' experience in many different health care settings. She is an International Interprofessional Wound Care Clinician. Her experience includes acute care, long-term care, community care, offender health, VON, management, Direction 180, Canadian Blood Services and youth health. Jacqueline has her own Foot Care business as well.
Jacqueline has five adult children. She loves many outdoor sports including skiing and golfing, as well as cooking, beaching and spending time with family.
Eleanore has been an Enterostomal Therapy/Nurse Specialized in Wound, Ostomy and Continence (ET/NSWOC) for 25 years and a nurse for over 35 years. She started her career as a high school teacher, but after a few years of teaching she became a nurse. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Calgary and graduate degree from the University of British Columbia.
Eleanore has worked in many areas of surgical nursing including general, cardiac, plastic, head and neck, urology, vascular and gynecology, as a both a staff nurse and a nurse educator. She has worked as an instructor at a school of nursing. She is a certified NSWOC and is currently an Academic Advisor and the Lead for the Ostomy Program in the Wound Ostomy Continence Institute as well as a Mentor in the Interprofessional Practice and Learning program. In the past, she worked as the Provincial Program Lead, Wound Care for the Province of Nova Scotia and as a Wound Care Consultant for the Department of Health and Wellness.
In 2014, Eleanore was recognized by the College of Registered Nursing of Nova Scotia (CRNNS) for her work as a clinician and was the recipient of the Excellence in Nursing Clinical Practice Award. She has given talks at provincial and national conferences and has authored four papers. She was the first nurse in Canada to use the then new technology of Telehealth to deliver ET services. In the past, Eleanore was active on the CRNNS Board, chairing the Educational Advisory Chairperson, and also the CAET (now called NSWOC) as a board member and regional director. She enjoys her work as a Nurse Mentor meeting new graduates and sharing her passion for nursing.
Eleanore lives in Wolfville, Nova Scotia with her husband and her Labrador retriever. Her hobbies include golf, birding, biking and travel.
Karen has 40 years of nursing experience since graduating from the Aberdeen School of Nursing in 1983. She began her career working in med/surg and family-centred care. The majority of her career has been spent in Obstetrics/Gynecology. During her lengthy career at the Valley Regional Hospital in Kentville, she completed a Neonatal Intensive Care Program, Perinatal certification, ALSO course and became a certified grief counsellor. Karen has had the pleasure of mentoring and precepting students and new staff over the years. She has taken on the roles of being an Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) instructor, charge nurse, and antenatal assessment nurse.
Time spent living in China and Mexico while her husband was on work assignments allowed Karen to volunteer at orphanages and gain valuable insight into other countries' health care systems. The pandemic brought her back to work, immunizing and swabbing. She keeps busy with her four grandchildren, volunteering at a soup kitchen, cooking, baking, walking and yoga.