Three MN grads weigh in on what makes a leader

In the Faculty of Nursing, we educate our alumni to be leaders in whatever way is meaningful to them. We recently connected with three leaders who have taken on prominent roles on the Canadian nursing scene for a Q & A.

Barb Shellian (BN'79, MN'83), President, Canadian Nurses Association
A visionary nurse leader whose contributions to the advancement of nursing in the public interest span an extensive professional career including, from 1995 to 1997, president of the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta, Shellian is now Director, Bow Valley Community and Rural Health in Canmore Alberta. She is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for distinguished service to nursing in Canada.

Shannon Spenceley (MN'93), past President, College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta
Spenceley is currently an assistant professor and researcher in the University of Lethbridge's Faculty of Health Sciences. She has worked at the bedside and as an executive with Alberta Health Services and has attended three of Alberta's universities.

Claire Betker (MN'91), President-Elect, Canadian Nurses Association 
Betker is the director of population health and health equity with Manitoba Health, Healthy Living and Seniors. She has worked to advance health equity with the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health and, with the Public Health Agency of Canada, led the development of interprofessional competencies.

AC: What made you choose to return to university to do a graduate degree?

Shellian: When I finished my baccalaureate degree – I thought this is it – I am done – but as I reflected on what I had learned and what more I wanted to learn I realized that there was more to be pursued. I wanted to advance my skills as an expert consultant, teacher and clinician and UCalgary's Faculty of Nursing graduate program ticked all the boxes for me. The fact of the convenience of a reasonable travel time from my home and being able to continue to work part time were also major deciding factors for me. I was fortunate enough to be one of the seven students in the first Masters of Nursing class.

Spenceley: To be honest, grad school was on my radar as soon as I finished my undergraduate degree in nursing, but I was seriously considering law school! I was offered a position as an academic assistant at the University of Lethbridge, and I thought that would be a good job while I got things together for a career in law. I discovered I loved teaching nursing, and loved the academic environment...so a graduate degree in nursing seemed the much more logical way to go.

Betker: When I graduated with my undergraduate degree from the University of Manitoba I intended to return for a Masters degree it just depended on when. Eleven years and three children later I attended a workshop in Winnipeg where Dr. Maureen Leahey was talking about Family Systems Nursing. I was a front line manager in Home Care at the time and what I heard that day resonated deeply with me and I could see application not only to my own practice in rural Manitoba but how it could assist my team and the families and communities we were working with. Eighteen months later I was in Calgary and starting classes at the Family Nursing Unit.

AC: Can you recount something memorable that changed your thinking/direction/attitude while working on your MN?

Shellian: I remember a class very early on in the program where Dr Janet Kerr said that a graduate degree will make you think differently. I didn't understand it at that time – I thought that my thinking was pretty good and wasn't really open to changing too much – but as the program progressed I began to appreciate the discernment, the problem solving, the circular perspective to developing options and the scholarly approach to establishing evidence and one day I realized .... I was thinking differently. All the professors that I encountered were passionate about helping this inaugural class succeed and I will always be grateful for the time and attention that they committed to my learning.

Spenceley: I would say that the time I spent at U of C was some of the most important and formative in terms of my career--and that was largely due to the wonderful people that I studied with (Sheila McKay, Linda Moore-Martin, Sheila Elliott, Dianne Tapp), as well as the exceptional faculty mentorship of Dr Marlene Reimer and Dr Nancy Grant. I distinctly remember when my focus shifted in my second year to chronicity (I had been an ICU nurse, which never felt like a good fit for me), and my whole world just opened up -- I can still remember feeling such growth!

Betker: The two years I spent in Calgary at the University of Calgary was all very memorable for me. I had high expectations of the program going in and it exceeded those expectations in every way. The experience stretched me professionally and personally. I can honestly say that I have used and continue to use what I learned in those two years every day. Watching from behind the one way mirror how families' lives improved as a result of their time with us was amazing. The classmates I found myself studying with were exceptional and together we were able to establish a culture of collaboration, sharing, mutual support and growth. A culture I look for and work towards today.

AC: How has your degree helped shape where you are now in nursing?

Shellian: Graduate education is about leadership – and leadership is one of the responsibilities of an advanced practice degree. I started my regular involvement with the professional association during my graduate studies and the synergy between what I was learning and how this could be applied to the advancement of the profession was very evident. Leadership was a way to get things done and the professional association was a road to accomplish change for the profession of nursing and the health of the population. Graduate school gave me a training ground for leadership skills in the area of advocacy, diplomacy, teamwork and political action.

Spenceley: It definitely shaped my attitudes and beliefs around nursing leadership and policy, and the awesome/humbling/privileged location of nursing in people's lives. It felt as though this is where I discovered who I was as a nurse.. And it wasn't just "my degree" that shaped where I would go in nursing, but the experience of pursuing that degree in the company of so many outstanding nursing leaders and mentors.

Betker: Having the graduate degree in nursing has definitely opened doors to opportunities that would not have been open to me otherwise. But what shaped me the most was the incredible learning that I experienced and watched others experience. That has instilled deeply in me a commitment to lifelong learning. The level of inquiry fostered, the analytical skills expected, and the advanced practice skills we were able to acquire have profoundly shaped my perspective and my actions since.