Nursing prof earns Fellowship to develop educational best practices
Kathryn Ewers, Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing, has earned a $13,000 Advanced Clinical Practice Fellowship from the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) to develop expert knowledge of educational best practices to implement into the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) Curriculum.
Ewers, who teaches in the Collaborative Nipissing University - Canadore College BScN Program, will use the funding to develop a teaching and learning model to support the integration of RNAO’s Best Practice Guidelines into the BScN Curriculum.
“Determining the optimal ways to deliver recognized best practise in Nursing education greatly benefits our students and allows them to better meet the needs of communities when they graduate and join the ranks of Nursing professionals,” said Dr. Tammie McParland, Director of the School of Nursing (interim). “Thank you to the RNAO for this investment in our students, our faculty and the entire School of Nursing.”
The Fellowship builds on the School of Nursing’s strategy to enhance capacity for Research and Best Practice Guideline implementation and aligns with the goal of receiving designation as an Academic Best Practice Spotlight Organization within the next three years. The School was recently awarded a $105,000 grant from the RNAO to become a recognized Best Practice Spotlight Organization.
Ewer’s success is an example of the continued growth in research capacity within the School of Nursing and builds on previous Fellowships held by Steve Cairns, Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing. Cairns was a successful recipient of two consecutive Advanced Clinical Practice Fellowships totalling $26,000 in fellowship grants. His fellowships focused on developing relational practice within the online educational context.
Both Ewers and Cairns are mentored in their Fellowships by Dr. Louela Manankil-Rankin, Assistant Professor of Nursing in Nipissing’s innovative Scholar Practitioner Program. Rankin is an Advanced Clinical Practice Fellow and the Co-Lead for the Best Practice Spotlight Organization initiative within the School of Nursing.
The RNAO’s Advanced Clinical Practice Fellowship program provides registered nurses (RN) and nurse practitioners (NP) the opportunity to have a focused self-directed learning experience to develop clinical, leadership or best practice guideline implementation knowledge and skills, with support from a mentor, the organization where the RN/NP is employed, and RNAO. This initiative is aimed at developing and promoting nursing knowledge and expertise, and improving client care and health outcomes in Ontario. For more information on the program, and the RNAO, please visit the website, here.