Mary has been an instructor in the BSN (Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing) program at Camosun College since January 2000. Prior to that she graduated from Camosun with an Associate of Arts and Nursing Diploma (1992), then completed a Post Registered Nurse program Bachelor of Science of Nursing (BSN) from the University of Victoria, followed by a Master of Science of Nursing (MSN) at the University of British Columbia (UBC). All the while, Mary was working as a nurse spending much of her time in both complex and acute care hospital settings.
Mary has always had a passion for teaching. “In the master’s program at UBC you can focus on different streams, one of which is curriculum education. My curriculum education instructor, Dr. Barbara Paterson, talked to us about how important it is for teaching to be meaningful and fun, and that you want to meet the students where they’re at. I was drawn to that perspective on education, and it’s something I’ve continued throughout my career as an educator.” When Mary graduated from UBC, she continued to work as a Registered Nurse at the bedside but began to consider what else she wanted to do. Dr. Paterson’s words stuck with her, so she asked some of her mentors if she should apply for teaching jobs, and they told her yes! While Camosun was not hiring when Mary applied, one of the instructors in the program suddenly had to go on leave and Mary was brought in to teach her class. “And that was how I began to share my passion for nursing and teaching with the student nurses at Camosun.”
For the first few years Mary taught, she went back and forth between teaching first- and second-year courses, “but I gravitated towards the first year because that’s where we introduce and teach our students about complex care, independent living, and older adults. I also enjoy working with students who are new to the college life. When I was a student at Camosun, I found the transition from high school to college life very stressful, but the supports I got made all the difference in transitioning from that smaller environment to the larger environment. So, I really enjoy those first few months where you’re really supporting new students; it’s almost like when, as a nurse, you assess your patients when admitting them to find what supports they need.”
I wondered what else, aside from supporting first year students, Mary enjoyed about teaching. “I have a passion for supporting Indigenous students. The Nursing program began to save seats for Indigenous students in the early 2000’s. Before HHS hired an Indigenous Support Coordinator, I and other instructors provided support for the new Indigenous students. I am especially inspired by Indigenous Liaison Nurses and Indigenous nurses in our communities, and I continue to incorporate Indigenous education knowledge into my classes and support the students.”
In addition, Mary told me that being an instructor “feels like Christmas time all the time. Students are so excited when they see something new, for example when my first-year students are out in nursing practice for the first time – they’re in their Camosun scrub uniforms, getting to know their clients, and having that textbook relational practice become real. I feel so honored to see the light, the happiness, the engagement, and the care that happens, to see that I am making a difference in their lives.” And Mary especially loves it when she runs into past students in the hospital that are now RNs, knowing that she had a part in where they are now. “It energizes me to know that even if I’m not directly caring for those patients somebody I taught is, someone who has been inspired by something I did or said. I love being a nurse, and I love being an educator. What an honor to be able to combine two amazing careers into one.”
I wondered what teaching life was like for Mary when we all had to move online during COVID, and what she has kept from that time. “Even before we went online, I was working with Sue Doner in CETL to learn how to better use D2L, for example learning how to use rubrics and grade online. Then when we moved online, I was not as stressed, and this made transition for me easier. We all, however, spent long days creating all the learning plans and the online activities. What I’ve kept from that time were some neat learning activities that we can send to students – home study packages and reflections they can complete to get ready for nursing practice. Some of them I’ve had to change, but those have been great resources.” But Mary is still using some of the videos they created during COVID and has kept her virtual office hours.
As always, I was curious if Mary had some specific memories from her years of teaching to share. “For me, it’s those critical moments, when the teaching and the experiential learning come together at the bedside of a client. Or when a student is giving personal care for the first time on their own and I’m observing. Those moments are inspirational because you’re seeing the students make a difference. For example, I had a student a few years ago who had been working with a client and, on her own, had written up a summary of suggestions for the Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) to share with the staff about how she had worked with this client and which things had worked well. Another time we had a client who was passing away and two students felt so compassionate they asked if they could work with just that client. They spent the rest of the shift attending to the client and being there for the family. I didn’t organize that – the students did. You have to be open to in-the-moments experiences like these because sometimes they support the best learning.”
This piece about students being in control of their own learning is important to Mary. “It’s not about my agenda, it’s about them meeting their learning goals. We ask students to create learning plans, and some of them ask, what do you want me to write? To which I reply, what is important to you? While there are learning outcomes that must be achieved in courses, some can be more flexible and when students assign their own meaning to them, then learning happens more easily.”
I asked Mary what advice she might have for new faculty at Camosun. “Be kind to yourself – it’s a steep learning curve, becoming an instructor. Take the Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) early on and find mentors both in nursing and in places like CETL. Try new things and be ok when they don’t land perfectly because students enjoy engaging in a variety of activities. Attend the Great Teachers conference because you will learn so much from other instructors. Use your professional development time wisely – it goes fast and can get eaten up by curriculum development so try to read a few articles every semester for yourself, not just for your teaching. And remember: to be a good teacher, you have to be a good student and open to constructive criticism. And finally, just be open to all the exciting things that we’re privileged to have access to here at Camosun College.”