A passion for nursing!
Hello my friends,
Think of someone you talked to recently who left you with the feeling that at least their part of the world is in good hands; someone who is driven by integrity, curiosity and a commitment to making things better. I relish those moments!
Recently I had the opportunity to talk to one of those people. Sally Thorne is Associate Dean of Applied Sciences at UBC. Before that she was Dean of the School of Nursing for many years. Early in her career she became really interested in the experiences of patients with of cancer and chronic illness. She could see how the medical system was often failing these people and so set out to help change things.
More recently Sally has been interested in the ethical issues nurses face in talking to patients about Medical Assistance in Dying.
Sally Thorne plans to retire this year from her academic role but has no plans to stop her researching and writing. I wasn’t surprised to hear that. In our brief visit I was struck by her energy, enthusiasm and curiosity and by her desire to help make things better in the health system.
Given her passion for the field of nursing ( I would call her a champion of the profession) her story of how she ended up at nursing school is a funny one and a good example of how wonderfully random life can be!
I enjoyed my conversation with Sally Thorne so much. We covered a lot of ground but of course only scratched the surface of some of her work. You can find the podcast on any of the usual podcast apps and there are links on the home page of the website. The podcast is called Listen with Sheryl MacKay.
Events
April 27 at Esquimalt’s Gorge Pavilion I will be hosting a conversation with revered psychologist, author and researcher Dr Sue Johnson. She is the founder of the Emotionally Focused Therapy. Her book Hold Me Tight was an international best seller and helped countless couples in their relationships. I am delighted to have a chance to talk to Sue Johnson about her fascinating and ground breaking work! The event is a fund raiser for Human Nature Counselling Society in Victoria. You can find ticket and event information on their website. There is a streaming option for the event as well.
