Georgian College

When it comes to producing provincial leaders in the field of nursing, Georgian College appears to be near the summit. Two alumni have found their way into top positions in which they promote quality nursing standards in Ontario. Kris Voycey, a 1997 graduate, is President of Council of the College of Nurses of Ontario and works as a nursing administrator at a Windsor hospital, while 1998 nursing grad Dianne Martin heads the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario. "I was in the first year of what they call the caring curriculum," says Martin, who studied at the Owen Sound Campus. "Georgian offered a unique approach to nursing care. We saw the patients as experts in their care. When we wrote our provincial nursing exams (in January 1998), we placed first in Ontario and that included the universities." The decades-old faculty was the first in Ontario to establish a collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) degree program whereby students study at Georgian for their first two years and then go to York University for the last two years of the program. In addition, Georgian offers a Practical Nursing diploma. Georgian also set a benchmark by becoming the first institution to receive a seven- year accreditation from the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing in recognition of the nursing program's curriculum, supportive processes, policies, structures and faculty. Dr. Elizabeth Erwin, Associate Dean of the college's School of Health and Wellness, says the school boasts an exceptional teaching staff all with practical experience, along with the new Sadlon Centre for Health and Wellness featuring the latest teaching laboratories and equipment. Erwin adds that nursing programs have a teacher-student ratio of 30-40 to one in a classroom setting, 20-24 to one in labs and eight-to-one for clinics. "I've been here 26 years. It's like being part of a family because it's so student and people- centred." Martin says nursing students benefit from an innovative program that features a strong leadership component that places a premium on critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. "One of the professors I had at Georgian pulled me aside and said, 'I think you can be a leader,'" says Martin, who also studied at York University and Victoria's Royal Roads University and worked at Southlake Regional Health Centre's maternal/ child wing immediately after graduation. "The college plants a seed that does beautifully on its own, but can be enhanced with further development. It builds who you are as a person." Like Martin, Voycey says the college provided a great environment to help develop his leadership skills. "The faculty gave me the confidence and drive to go out into the work world. There was so much collaboration between students and staff." Originally from Sudbury, Voycey worked at the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health (formerly the Mental Health Centre Penetanguishene) for a few years following graduation before moving to Newmarket, then Detroit and finally Windsor. He has specialized as an emergency room program manager at one of the busiest level one trauma centre emergency rooms in North America, and has created mentorship programs for registered nurses. Voycey says he was taken aback during a recent visit to his home campus in Barrie. "I thought maybe I'd see one or two of my old teachers but the majority of my faculty was still there," says Voycey. "That says a lot about the institution that they can engage and retain staff like that." By Andrew Philips Dianne Martin, Nursing '98 "One of the professors I had at Georgian pulled me aside and said, 'I think you can be a leader.'" GeorgianView 2012/13 | 17

• Cover