SARA LANKSHEAR:

Paving the way for the nurses of tomorrow

Why did you become a nurse?

I always knew I wanted to go into health care, and nursing was the number one choice. The big appeal about nursing is the possibilities are limitless. You can literally reinvent yourself in so many ways over the course of your nursing career.

It’s often said that nurses provide care “from the womb to the tomb” in practice settings from ICU, to long-term care and every place in between – and that’s just nursing at the point of care. You can also apply your nursing knowledge in roles as an educator, a researcher, an administrator, and in policy. That’s the wonderful thing about nursing – the bandwidth is limitless.

How are our employer connections beneficial for students?

What we’re really trying to promote here, particularly for the new Honours BScN, is that students who are already living in the community will be able to stay in their community to learn and then hopefully practice as a nurse in their own communities. This is a huge source of interest and support from our community partners as they view students as future health-care providers and a key component of their human resource strategy.

We have a huge variety here for students, from small, rural health-care sites, to large, urban community acute-care facilities.

Our placement partners really love our students and they’re quite welcoming for which we are very grateful – especially during the pandemic.

For students’ last semester, they basically are in clinical full time, practising alongside a Registered Nurse. It’s a great opportunity for students to experience and “try on” a couple of different practice settings, and very often they will get hired by one of the agencies where they have had a placement.

What’s special about working in Georgian’s communities?

The communities in Georgian’s catchment area are very diverse. What we have that’s very different from large, urban cities such as Toronto is the whole notion of rural health and the distinct needs of smaller, rural populations.

For instance, Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH), a large community health centre that’s next-door to our Barrie Campus, is there to serve its communities, and it actually knows the needs of those communities. We have the same benefit in Owen Sound with our partnership with Grey Bruce Health System and the many health-care agencies in the area.

Students feel a greater connection to the community because they’re working in these community centres.

They get a greater sense of what their contribution is versus being in a large, urban health-care centre far from home.

What makes Georgian a great place to learn?

What we’re really proud of at Georgian is the size of the campus and the size of the classes. There are about 40 students to a class.

We get to know our students really well, and they get to know us really well.

The students really do appreciate the accessibility and the willingness of the faculty to support them. The range of student services outside of the classroom is also a great asset to our students.

What’s unique about the new Honours BScN program?

When we built the curriculum for the Honours BScN program, we built it with the community in mind. For example, in their very first year, students have a course that focuses on knowing, understanding and responding to the community.

Right from the very get-go we’re trying to connect them with their community so there is an immediate connection.

We also have a very specific course on Indigenous health, recognizing that’s an important population in our communities with distinct health and wellness needs.

Particularly with the Honours BScN program, what we’re really trying to do is create opportunities for equitable access.

For many students who simply could not afford to commute to postsecondary classes for two years, now they can potentially realize their dream of becoming a Registered Nurse.

Mature students who have families and dogs and houses, who can’t drive back and forth to York, will now have the ability to complete their education in their own community.

We want to enable as many people as possible who dream about becoming a registered nurse, and they can now do it in their own community.

What do Georgian students and staff most appreciate about you?

I’d like to think that I am well connected in the nursing and broader health-care communities and have a good sense of what’s coming. I try to make it very clear what the expectations are and hold people to them, but I’m also very supportive, whether it’s of students or staff, in terms of how to best support them if they are struggling and how to get through any issues.

As well, from a faculty perspective, I’m a good advocate for really trying to make sure they’re well supported so they can do their jobs well, which is creating a phenomenal learning experience for our students. And I try to have some fun along the way!

What are your greatest accomplishments?

My two children. My daughter is a nurse. I’m very proud of her and that she chose nursing.

It’s also a bit of a worry because she’s an ICU nurse in the U.S. She’s unbelievably brave and has gone on two COVID-19 crisis placements to help areas in real need. She was in New York for three months, then she went on to Oregon for three months.

I’m also a proud “Georgian Mom” – my son is a graduate of the Honours Bachelor of Police Studies program and is now a Constable Detective in Halton Region. I’m so very proud of them both!

One of my biggest personal accomplishments was to obtain my PhD in 2011, and I had a very successful consulting practice for 20 years that allowed me to work with many different organizations right across Canada.

I was faculty at Georgian for the last six years before assuming the Associate Dean, Nursing Program role in July 2020. Currently, I’m really quite excited to have this opportunity at this point in time. This role really allows me to use the various skills from all my previous roles I’ve had as a nurse and put them into play now.

Who are your nursing heroes?

There’s quite a few. I have a dear friend, Sister Mary Finnick, who is a nurse in the U.S. She’s with the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart. She’s quite phenomenal, even going off to missions in Haiti in her 80s. She was there during the earthquake in 2010. There are so many great Canadian nurse leaders: Judith Shamian, Gail Donner, Dianne Martin and Mike Villeneuve and others who are really at the forefront of nursing leadership. Nursing is best when we are “#strongertogether.”

Has the pandemic impacted your view of nursing?

No, it hasn’t changed at all. Rather, I think it’s really highlighted what nurses do and the extent of our impact on the health-care system.

It really highlights the struggles, too. The physical, mental, and emotional toll of providing care in a very stressful and complex environment. I think it was fitting that the theme for Nursing Week 2021 was We Answer the Call. Those words have never been truer than this past year.

Dr. Sara Lankshear, RN, PhD | Associate Dean