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Karen graduated from St. Martha’s School of Nursing in 1981. She retired in 2019. Karen practised as a Registered Nurse for almost 40 years. Her nursing career took her across four Canadian provinces, and abroad to France and the Dominican Republic.
Karen had the privilege to work in various multifaceted nursing roles. She achieved additional diplomas and certifications in three specialty areas: Mental Health, Occupational Health, and Research. As a Psychiatric Nurse 3/5 of her career, Karen 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, Karen worked in the private Industry, and in municipal and federal government. As a Research Nurse, she 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."
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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.
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Delores graduated with a BN from the University of Calgary and has over 34 years of nursing experience. She started her career in the Canadian Forces and worked in a military hospital in Ottawa on an oncology unit. Upon leaving the military, she worked as a VON visit nurse in the community of Ottawa.
Delores received her Master of Health Administration from the University of Ottawa and worked at various health organizations within the Ottawa area. These roles included: Research Nurse Coordinator for clinical trials at the Memory Disorder Clinic, Research and Development Specialist at Accreditation Canada, National Manager for the Canadian Forces Case Management Program, and Regional Director with Bayshore Home Health. In 2014, she accepted a contract to work at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (1000 bed oncology and liver disease hospital) in Saudi Arabia as a Nurse Program Director and led a team of 50 internationally trained nurses.
Upon her return to Canada, Delores worked in Belleville, Ontario for the Local Health Integration Network as a manager for home and community care with a team of 30 health care professionals. She returned to the Middle East in 2018 and worked as a clinical director to develop a home care program for Royale Hayat Hospital in Kuwait, where she travelled to the Philippines and India to recruit nurses and other health care professionals, and developed their orientation program and provided support.
Delores returned to the Halifax area in 2020 and was hired by INVIVA Canada as the Atlantic Region Manager to set up 3 infusion clinics in the area. Her role included recruiting nurses, operating the clinics and providing care (infusions and injection training) to patients. She is semi-retired and continues to work as a casual SANE (sexual assault nurse examiner) at Avalon.
Delores believes in lifelong learning and recently completed the Canadian Institute of Integrative Nursing Development & Education (CIINDE) Holistic Nurse, Nurse Coach & Consultant Certificate program and is a Certified CIINDE Holistic Nurse Coach and Consultant (CCHNC-C).
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Norah has been an RN for over 50 years, working mostly in the hospital setting. She has seen many changes to health care in that time. Her love for nursing and caring for patients, their families and staff kept her busy in the workplace.
Norah started as a Staff nurse on a busy Internal Medicine Nursing Unit where she learned lots! She then moved on to a Coronary Care unit and a Medical ICU where she continued to learn and grow. During this time, Norah completed her Critical Care Program. She was always learning with so many changes to health care.
Norah moved around in the Maritimes for her first 6 years of nursing as her husband completed his education. She then moved west, where she worked for 10 years in a busy ICU. Norah continued to learn lots as this unit had a varied patient clientele: Cardiac patients with MIs, balloon pumps, angioplasty, bypass surgery and lots of ventilated patients with respiratory failure, general surgery post-ops, and the early treatment of AIDS patients. In this unit, Norah was a staff nurse, Assistant Head Nurse, then the Unit Supervisor. Norah completed the Nursing Unit Administration course and started courses for her Nursing Degree. As well, they added 2 more children to their family, totalling 3! Norah also helped with research way back in the 1980s.
Her family decided to move back to the Maritimes in 1990 and Norah worked for 30 more years in the Nova Scotia healthcare system, retiring in 2020. Norah did not know when she submitted her retirement letter in February of 2020 what was to come in March of that year. Even as she finished her time, she continued learning all about pandemics!
During her 30 years, Norah was a Nursing Unit Manager for numerous departments, helped with planning and moving to a new facility and eventually became the Director of the site and county. Norah always remained competent in nursing, completing her Bachelors in Nursing in 1998, and held her CAN Critical Care Certificate for over 20 years. She frequently assisted in the ICU and ER as a staff person, mentor, and manager, whatever role was needed.
"I am excited to continuing mentoring folks within Nova Scotia Health!"
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.