Artefacts

FIRST YEAR     ----------------------------------------------------------

The first artefact, seen above, is my acceptance letter to McMaster University. This was my stepping stone to the world of post-secondary school, a stepping stone which would eventually lead to my entrance into the study of nursing.

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Seen above is my acceptance letter to Trent University, the official beginning of my nursing career.

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Completing the palliative care volunteer training program was an achievement that made me realize how much I wanted to care for others, and further enhanced my desire to study nursing. This completion certificate above is a mark of that achievement.

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These two drawings (above and below) are both featured in Trent University's magazine, The Absynthe. Being a published artist is a great achievement for me, and one I am very proud of. Doing art is a release for me; since nursing is a very stressful career, it is important to have healthy outlets for emotional release, and I am glad I have art as an outlet.

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This screenshot of an email interaction between myself and my clinical instructor exemplifies the care I put into my academic work. As a nurse, it is important to be detail-oriented and put care into all areas of work. I am also pleased to have been able to use my work as an example for other students.

SECOND YEAR     ---------------------------------------------------------

This is my my and my partner's poster presentation for NURS 2020. I travelled to Honduras for my Community Based Nursing Practice course and worked with children and their caregivers about communication techniques and least restraints for managing challenging behaviours. The population we worked with were children with cerebral palsy who were wards of the state. They lived in a group home called PREPACE El Hatillo, just outside of Tegucigalpa. While in Honduras I learned a lot about global health promotion and simple nursing interventions which can make a big difference. 

 This is a photo of my clinical group, our translators, instructors and other support staff who travelled with us to Honduras. Also pictured (woman on the right in the black shirt) is the head of the school PREPACE 21. PREPACE 21 is a school in Tegucigalpa for children with cerebral palsy. The school's registration fee is on a sliding scale and parents who are unable to pay the full price work as support staff at the school. PREPACE 21 has classes for children which help to prepare them for the real world, such as baking classes. They also have rooms with plenty of sensory equipment which help children with behavioural problems to focus and calm down. The school is a perfect example of how a community can come together to promote health and wellbeing.

In second year Trent University's Scared Scriptless Improv Team was founded and I am glad to have been a part of it from day one. I first started doing improvisational theatre when I lived in Hamilton - fittingly, I was introduced to improv by my landlord, an ICU nurse who found improv to be a huge source of stress relief. These pictures are from our end-of-year photoshoot in March 2019. I am still on the Scared Scriptless Improv team, and have stepped up to the role of Treasurer. Improv a place I go weekly to remove myself from the stresses of school and life, be silly, and just laugh.  

THIRD YEAR --------------------------------------------------------

For the past three summers (ever since I received my certificate in palliative care training, as pictured above), I have worked at Hospice Peterborough as a Special Projects Assistant. This summer I took on a slightly bigger role - while I also completed administrative tasks, I also worked on a video which showed the impact of Hospice Peterborough in the community, and wrote this piece for the Hospice Highlighter. Other issues of the Hospice Highlighter can be found at hospicepeterborough.org.

This is the video mentioned above, called Moments that Matter. This is a video I created during my summer at Hospice with support from my coworkers. I sat down with 10 people and asked them "What does Hospice mean to you?" I have loved palliative care for several years now but after creating this video I am even more motivated to pursue a career in palliative care. It is amazing to sit with individuals and hear their experiences in dying, and to do that as a career would be a dream.

Lastly, I wish to feature my parents, Heidi and Colin, in this portfolio. They are the reason I am here today and I could not do what I do without them. This is a photo of them in front of the Taj Mahal in India and encapsulates their spirit as a couple: hardworking, dedicated, world-travellers, and very loving. They are the two most wonderful and inspiring people I know.