As a nurse educator for 15 years in various roles, Laurie Peachey believes promoting more creativity in learning is important when mentoring students. "We have to do a better job of bringing the practicum and classroom theory together," she says. Students need to experience real nursing situations to understand what they are reading in textbooks. As an assistant professor at Nipissing University in 2017, Peachey held several maternal-child simulations that gave students the opportunity to see a birth, and to treat a child with bacterial meningitis. "It increases their self-confidence," she says. Simulation "…allows them to perform skills that may have been left for more advanced learners or new grads entering the field." Peachey also collaborated with nursing students to plan maternal-child simulations at an event called the Nursing Games at Nipissing University in 2017. The event saw more than 200 students from various schools of nursing in Ontario converge on Nipissing to participate in a number of competitions. Now, with a PhD in education under her belt, and still working as an assistant professor, Peachey looks forward to continuing to improve the simulation activities for students, and developing partnerships with hospitals to bring simulation into acute care settings.
The RNAO Leadership Award in Student Mentorship recognizes an RN or NP who demonstrates outstanding practice as a nurse educator, mentor or preceptor. This individual encourages critical thinking, evidence-informed practice, and initiates discussion about important nursing issues that encourage action and change. This individual is resourceful, adapting teaching methods to maximize learning opportunities that contribute to student engagement and action.
