Nursing Story Slam

Maggie has been a registered nurse for 50 years, practising as a bedside nurse, administrator, educator and researcher. Her BN and MN degrees were completed at University of Manitoba, and her PhD at University of Calgary. Her area of specialty was women’s health, specifically perinatal nursing. A particular interest, arising from her PhD studies, has been how nurses’ philosophical beliefs have impacted their nursing actions. Her story will illustrate the tension of differing philosophical beliefs and the impact of care provided to women thought by some to be undeserving of care. 

Kiri Dean is a clinical sessional instructor within the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Calgary. Her focus is in teaching perinatal nursing in the undergraduate program. She is an alum of the University of Calgary(BN’21, BSc'03 Zoology, BSc'03 Psychology) and is currently working towards her PhD in nursing also at the University of Calgary. Kiri spent 10 years in New Zealand where she obtained her BM and practiced midwifery before moving back home.  She lives with her cat, son, fiancé, and their dog (who became family in that order). 

Abi is a young ICU nurse, who has only worked as a nurse for three years, but has enjoyed most moments of it. She loves a faced-paced environment and can’t see herself working anywhere other than critical care. On her free time, she wants to see the world and post it on her YouTube channel. She loves hanging out with her friends and talking about hypothetical scenarios over sushi. You might catch her reading or doing some physically demanding exercise if she isn’t trying to learn a new hobby.  

Britt is a registered nurse who graduated from Mount Royal University in 2021. Her early nursing career has largely been spent caring for youth and adolescents experiencing severe eating disorders in acute, ambulatory and residential care settings. During this time, she witnessed firsthand the challenges and gaps inherent in our mental health care system. Driven both by patients in her care and personal lived experience of depression, she currently works as a mental health researcher at the Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education. She is also pursuing her Master of Nursing in Addictions and Mental Health and Healthcare Innovation and Design at the University of Calgary, striving to improve access to, and quality of, mental health services for young people in Canada. 

Amanda Lucas is a palliative care clinical nurse specialist and consultant, with more than 20 years of nursing experience, including 14 years in palliative and hospice care. She completed her Master’s in Nursing in 2014, focusing on dignity at end of life and education. Amanda is passionate about palliative care and dedicated to helping individuals live and die well. She strives to shape the dying experience in a way that honours patients' stories, values and wishes. Recognizing that we only die once, she sees each moment as an opportunity to create a meaningful experience for patients and their loved ones. Outside of nursing, she is interested in health, wellness, nutrition, and fitness; peaking with completing a half Ironman in 2024.  

Carol possesses extensive health-care experience, including outpost nursing, public health and management. Throughout her career, she has provided senior leadership across multiple health authorities, overseeing various acute and community services. Subsequently, she led the Alberta Health Services (AHS) provincial population/public health and Indigenous health portfolios. For six years, she taught a graduate-level course in nursing leadership and management. She is also a certified executive coach. Alongside her daughter, she has the privilege of co-leading their coaching and consulting business that supports health- care professionals. Carol enjoys hiking, travelling internationally, and spending time with her granddaughter.

Karen BN'82, MN'12 is a proud graduate of UCalgary Nursing. Her clinical practice journey in critical care and emergency nursing spans more than four decades including roles as a sessional clinical instructor, clinical resource nurse, and clinical nurse educator. Karen’s master's research focused on the critical work that nurses do to manage triage and patient safety in emergency which facilitated several quality improvement initiatives, publications and presentations nationally and internationally. Most recently, Karen has been working in the world of nursing regulation investigating complex cases with the College of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CRNA). 

Eleanor Benterud, is currently the project manager for the CIHR REACH initiative in the Faculty of Nursing.  She obtained both her undergraduate and graduate nursing degrees from the University of Calgary and spent her entire career in Alberta. It is her nursing career that has allowed her many opportunities in acute care, operating room, emergency room, population health, teaching, management and many medical voluntary pursuits. When work is not adventurous enough, Eleanor and her husband enjoy kitesurfing, ice climbing, mountaineering and traveling.  The most rewarding adventure has been raising their two sons Alex and Nathan.