[Jen]

Please share some details about yourself (e.g., preferred name, nursing background), what brought you to this course, and what you are hoping to get from this course. Or anything else that you’d like us to know (250 words maximum).  Once you have entered your introduction, please click on Week 1 – Research Fundamentals. In this first week, we will have completed the Welcome module AND Module 1 by Sunday

[Megan]

Hello Everyone,
I graduated the practical nursing program at Georgian College in 2021. I worked briefly in Long-Term Care after graduation, and am now working as an office manager for my family’s business. I am currently looking for part-time or casual employment and also looking for ways to further my knowledge. I am interested in learning more about nursing research. I am hoping to have a better understanding of how to apply current research to practice and how to create meaningful research, using reliable sources and proper formatting. When I attended nursing school in college, I always enjoyed writing research papers. I am excited to participate in this course and look forward to collaborating with everyone.
Thank you,
Megan

[Jen]

Hello Megan,

It is very nice to ‘meet you’. Thank you for sharing your interests in research. During this course you will learn how to critical analyze existing research literature to help inform practice decisions. You will also have an opportunity to develop and build your own research inquiry on a topic that is of interest to you and your nursing practice. I wish you the best of luck in the course.

Jen

[Ashley]

Nice to “meet” you – working for a family business is never ending work! Way to go making time for a class in there too. I completed my schooling around the same time as you and I was disappointed that we didn’t cover too much in the area of research so I hear you, I’m excited about learning more too.

[Jen]

Hello Everyone,

My name is Jen Calver and I am your course facilitator. My clinical nursing background is primarily in long-term care with a passion for working closely with older adults and their families. I pursued an undergraduate degree in a Bachelor of Allied Health Sciences program as I was interested to learn more about interdisciplinary team-based care, health system issues, health law, and ethics. During my undergrad, I began to learn more about nursing and health research and noted that RPNs were vastly underrepresented within the research literature and on research teams. I am currently pursing my PhD in health sciences and my thesis explores psychological health and safety and workforce retention in long-term care. One of my most favourite parts of my job is the opportunity to connect with other nurses across the province. Outside of work, I am a married mom of two sons (15,19), a chihuahua named Pipsqueak, a lionhead bunny named KD, and a cat named knox. We enjoy lots of outdoor activities, especially hiking. And in my downtime I am an avid reading and love getting lost in a great non-fiction novel!

I am happy to be here with you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions. I also encourage you to get to know one another and support each other throughout this course and maybe beyond.

Jen

[April]

Hello Everyone
My name is April Plumton and I am a non-practicing RPN. I retired from nursing after spending 31 years practicing as a RPN in many different areas of nursing from Obstetrics/Gynecology and Newborn Care, Medical/Surgical, Long-term Care and my last years in nursing were spent working in Primary Care. While working in Primary Care I took an interest in diabetes and became one of the first RPN’s to become a Diabetes Nurse Educator. I helped implement the “Insulin Pump Program” at the clinic I worked for and was moved to coordinator of the program.
While working in Primary Care, I also had an interest in the Immunization, Well-Women, Smoking Cessation Program and I was also a RNAO Smoking Cessation Best Practice Champion.

I am interested to learn more about nursing and health research as I noticed that there is very little research done by or related to RPN’s. Realistically to introduce anything to RPN nursing we need to back it up with research which I learned while working on a awarded, RPNAO Leadership/Clinical Practice Fellowship on “Enhancement of the Role of the Registered Practical Nurse within Primary Care”.
I have a background in Community Health sitting on local committee’s and as a council member, chair of the Elections and Appointments Committee and Disciplinary Committee member, Panel Chair for the College of Nurses of Ontario. Recently I am on the Health Services Advisory Committee, Vic-Chair, Carman Cemetery Brighton ON and Growing Abilities Supportive Housing Inc. Chair for Ontario.

[Jen]

Hello April – So happy that you are able to join us in the Intro to research course. Thank you for sharing your background experiences with us and for your nursing leadership and advocacy.

It is nice to see the growing interests of RPNs, researchers and health leaders in driving RPN research evidence forward to address the under representation of RPNs in research and research outputs. Learners enrolled in this course are a great example of the steps RPNs are taking to raise the professional profile of nurses in their workplace and beyond.

I am interested to learn more about your engagement with the Primary care work you were involved in. WeRPN is a partner on a 3-year cross-provincial study titled ‘Scope-PCN: Strengthening Team Based Care: Optimizing the Scope of Practice of Primary Care Nurses’. The study was approved for a national 2024 CIHR Project Grant of $665,550. Project updates are shared in the bi-monthly WeResearch Newsletters, WeRPN’s website, and other communication channels.

Wishing you all the best in this course.

Kindly,

Jen

[April]

Sorry, I forgot to mention that I am happily married, have two sons one is a reporter for CBC Toronto and my other son is developmentally delayed and still lives at home with my husband and I. We also have two cats, Archy and Ottis.

[Marissa]

Hi, my name is Marissa, and I’ve been an RPN since 2019. I currently work at a tertiary mental health hospital, providing inpatient treatment and rehabilitation for individuals experiencing psychosis. I also serve as co-chair of our facility’s nursing council, where research has become a recurring topic of interest among members.
Recognizing a gap in RPN representation within the council, my fellow co-chairs and I saw an opportunity to lead meaningful change. We applied for—and were awarded—the RPN Fellowship Grant to launch a research initiative focused on amplifying RPN voices. This exciting step is what brought me to this course.
While I’ve engaged in research before, this is my first time doing so specifically as a nurse and for nurses. I hold a B.A. in Health, Aging and Society from McMaster University, where I explored health systems, social determinants of health, and aging across the lifespan. That academic foundation equipped me with the tools to advocate for policy reform that supports healthier aging and equitable care.
This fellowship and course represent a unique opportunity to merge my clinical experience with my academic background. I’m eager to deepen my research skills and contribute to a project that not only elevates RPN perspectives but also strengthens our role in shaping the future of nursing.

[Jen]

Hi Marissa,

Congratulations on your RPN research fellowship! Thank you for taking steps to advance research evidence regarding RPN engagement in professional councils in the workplace. During this course, you will have an opportunity to review and refine your research question and critically appraise existing literature for the appropriateness and applicability to your area of inquiry (if you choose to focus your learnings on your current research study). We hope that you find the tools and resources presented in this course helpful to your current and future research interests.

Wishing you all the best in this course and with your fellowship.

Jen

[Ashley]

Nice to “meet” you Marissa, I’m interested to get to hear more about your practice. Mental Health is such an underrepresented area in our community as a whole. I can’t wait to hear what you uncover as you work through the fellowship. Prior to nursing I went to school for my social service worker diploma and love community care as I get to wear both hats often. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help with your work.

[Brandon]

Hello everyone,

My name is Brandon, and I’ve been an RPN since 2012. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work in a variety of roles, starting in long-term care and home care before moving into the hospital, where I’ve spent more than 10 years in the Emergency Department. Alongside this, I’ve been teaching RPN clinical at St. Clair College for the past eight years, which has become one of my passions.

During COVID, I balanced working in the ED and teaching with supporting local vaccine clinics. That experience eventually led me to lead vaccine clinics full-time in Toronto and the surrounding areas. Afterward, I took on travel nursing contracts in Northern Ontario and Northern Saskatchewan, which gave me valuable insight into healthcare in more remote communities.

Currently, I’m back in school full-time in the RPN to BScN bridging program at St. Clair College/University of Windsor, now entering my final year. I was also recently awarded the RPN Fellowship grant and will be working alongside Dr. Edward Cruz, the Associate Dean of Nursing at the University of Windsor, on a research project supporting research education in Ontario’s practical nursing programs.

I’m taking this course because research is becoming a big part of my academic and professional journey, and I want to strengthen my knowledge and confidence in this area. I’m looking forward to learning with all of you and seeing how research can continue to shape our nursing practice.

[Jen]

Hello Brandon,

Congratulations to you on your research fellowship. We look forward to following your research about research! Thank you for sharing your rich nursing background with us. It is wonderful to see nurses from across various fields come together in one space. During nursing school, part of my placement was in an hospital ED. It was a very rewarding experience with some amazing nurses and colleagues.

Wishing you all the best during your undergraduate studies, this course and your fellowship.

Jen

[Helena]

Hello everyone My name is Helena and I have been an RPN since 2018. I have experience in many different areas of nursing, Emergency department, medicine, surgery, LTC, retirement, Ministry of long term care, Mental health and now currently working in reactivation care. I am excited to learn more about research and happy for the opportunity to be a part of this learning experience.

[Jen]

Hi Helena,

It is nice to ‘meet’ you. We are happy you are hear and look forward to joining you on this learning journey in research. I am not too familiar with reactivation care and RPN roles. I look forwarding to building more knowledge about this area during our time together.

I hope you enjoy the course.

Jen

[Ashley]

Hello Everyone, seems my answer from earlier this week did not load so here goes attempt #2.

My name is Ashley and I am a RPN working in Home & Community Care. Currently I spend my days hanging out in kindergarten with my little pal – giving g-feeds and singing circle time songs. I love my work. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t get lonely though. HCC nursing is tough, I work without the blessing of other nurses to learn from and spend most of my days with little ones. I am so excited to be part of this class to have some opportunities to learn from you all and you’re wealth of experiences.

I am a biological mom to two, (20f and almost 18m) and foster momma/auntie ash to many others. I went back to school during the pandemic to get my RPN and have loved the community nurse role with some time in LTC as well. I’ve done some palliative care in the community and now I’m eager to learn more about how research can impact my community practice. Thanks for reading! ~ Ash

[Jen]

Hi Ashley – or do you prefer Ash?
Thank you for sharing your story and experience! I have heard from other RPNs who have shared similar feelings about work in HCC – the positive and the not so positive. There are so many amazing nurses and teams working in HC. I wonder if there would be any new research publications that may be of interest to you. If you have a chance visit the WeRPN library and search ‘home and community care’.

I look forward to following your learning journey in research and learning from each of you along the way.

Kindly

Jen

[Miriam]

Hello everyone!
My name is Miriam. I have been an RPN since 2004, and working in Long-Term care since. I’ve always preferred Long-Term care over hospital as I find it more personal and family-like. You get to know your residents and their families like your own, and they know you the same. I love the bond and trust it creates. I work on the floor with my PSWs and many residents, but also train new registered staff on a monthly basis, and at times work as a Liaison to our many wonderful physicians. I am married with 2 teenage sons (14, 16), and a chi-weeny dog named Jasper.
I wanted to expand my skills and resume, hence this course. Next course I plan to take will be IPAC related.
Nice to meet you all,
Miriam

[Jen]

Hi Miriam,

It is lovely to ‘meet’ you. I can completely resonate with the joy of working in LTC with staff, residents and their families. I hope that you find this course helpful to reach your learning goals. Please email with any questions or comments about the course or RPNs in research.

I hear the IPAC course is very good too. Great job taking steps for continued education. It is a great way of maintaining up-to-date knowledge and information to help inform your nursing practice.

I look forward to joining you and the other students on the learning journey in research. We will learn as much from one another as we will from the course content.

Kindly,

Jen

[Author]

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