The Faculty of Nursing recognizes and celebrates nurses during National Nursing Week. As part of its celebration, the faculty is sharing stories throughout the week that showcase how UWindsor’s nursing education prepares students to become contributors to health care.

The nursing profession, such a vital part of the health-care system, has been challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic. Attrition, whether due to widespread burnout or early retirement, has created a void; young nurses are most at risk for negative health consequences due to work stress.

Nursing professors Jody Ralph and Laurie Freeman, along with lead researcher Dana Ménard and her colleague in psychology Kendall Soucie, are developing simulation modules to prepare graduating nurses entering the workforce for moments of extreme anxiety.

“By having the nursing graduates participate in mock scenarios closely simulating real world circumstances, we better equip them to handle unplanned situations,” says Dr. Ralph.

“For instance, they could be given immediate and increased patient workload due to staff absence. On top of that, they could encounter stressful moments with a patient’s family and possible demands from other staff members. There are just so many factors that come into play unexpectedly.”

The 10-week program includes such modules as:

• Recognizing the effects of heavy workloads and changing care patterns
• Recognizing moral distress and burnout in self and others
• Recognizing signs of impaired mental health in self and others
• Trauma-informed care: recognizing trauma in self and in patients
• De-stigmatizing mental health issues
• Addressing moral distress and burnout in self and others
• Finding support and coping with mental health issues
• Patient mortality (end-of-life care and managing grief)
• Working effectively on multidisciplinary teams
• Self-advocacy by nurses

”Currently, we are building the 10 simulations and education modules and testing them in person with a small pilot group,” says Dr. Ménard. “Then we will transition to an online platform over the summer, so that the program can be offered asynchronously and tested at multiple universities including the University of Ottawa and Queen's University.”

Ménard adds that the modules are designed to build resilience and coping strategies in nursing students by practising their assertiveness and problem-solving in difficult but realistic situations. Using simulations allows nursing students to learn non-clinical skills in a safe, supportive, and non-threatening environment.

Ménard and Ralph agree that the future of nursing depends on adapting to, and providing solutions for, workplace barriers and establishing blueprints that support self-care resulting in a healthy, competent, and sustainable workforce.

—Gam Macasaet

Bursary programs from the CPA Ontario Foundation will help support Black and Indigenous students at the Odette School of Business pursue education toward careers as Chartered Professional Accountants.

The bursaries, Black Student Success and Indigenous Student Success, will be awarded on the basis of demonstrated financial need. Eligible students will be able to apply through their UWin Awards profiles for the 2023-24 school year.

The Odette School of Business is one of 10 Ontario post-secondary institutions receiving funding for the programs.

Dean Mitchell Fields extended thanks to the foundation for its support.

“Our goal is always to increase diversity in all areas of business, and this will certainly help to further that goal,” he said.

The foundation’s chair, Daniela Carcasole, said the programs are aimed at fostering the next generation of diverse business leaders and building a stronger future for the profession.

“Whether a student decides to pursue the CPA designation for a career as a forensic accountant, an entrepreneur or an auditor, we are dedicated to helping them overcome obstacles and reach their full potential,” she said.

—Sienna Ducharme

Virtual Open Day, Thursday, May 11, is an excellent way for prospective students to learn about programs they are interested in and see campus facilities and accommodations, says Chris Busch, associate vice-president of enrolment management.

During the online event, from 8 a.m. to noon, participants can watch information sessions on completing their application and other topics and engage directly with professional staff and current students through video and text chat.

“Our professional staff, student ambassadors, admissions professionals, and in-country representatives will facilitate the platform,” Dr. Busch says. “While the primary audience is international, we have a sizable portion of domestic registrants. As it is a virtual online platform, we will support all degree levels and student groups, but some inquiries will be triaged and referred.”

Future students can sign up here to attend.

Job postings for the summer 2023 Ignite Work Study Program are live on mySuccess, the Office of Career Development and Experiential Learning has announced.

“The Ignite program is a great opportunity for students looking to secure paid work experience while further developing their employment skills,” says Ronak Doowd, program co-ordinator for career development and experiential learning. “Students are encouraged to review all of the available jobs on campus and apply for the summer semester if they meet criteria.”

To be eligible for the Ignite program, students must:

• Be in good academic standing (cumulative average of 60 per cent or higher and not be on academic probation);
• Have a valid social insurance number and be eligible to work on campus;
• Not be on a co-op work term in the semester they are employed in an Ignite position;
• Be registered in at least one intersession or summer course or have been registered in at least one course in winter 2023 and be returning to study full-time in the fall.

Direct questions relating to the Ignite program to Doowd at ignite@uwindsor.ca.

Organizers of the second annual Alumni and Student Pow Wow, Thursday through Saturday at the Toldo Lancer Centre, are looking for volunteers to help with the event.

Presented by the University of Windsor Aboriginal Education Centre and St Clair College Indigenous Student Services, the celebration of Indigenous cultures and community will bring together First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students and alumni and is open to the broader community.

Volunteer opportunities include check-in, greeting, booth runners, set up, take down, and more. Sign up here to register as a volunteer.

An elite group of high school students spent the day at the University of Windsor on March 22, flexing their academic muscles at the third annual UWindsor Brain Bee competition.

Students study topics on memory, sleep, intelligence, emotion, perception, stress, aging, brain imaging, neurology, neurotransmitters, genetics, brain disease, and are then tested on their knowledge of the brain and neuroscience research.

The in-person event saw eight students from grades 11 and 12 compete. The top three competitors received entrance scholarships, ranging from $500 to $1,500, to pursue studies at the University of Windsor in the science program of their choice.

Twelfth grader Olivia Dundas from Assumption College Catholic High School claimed first place. She will go on to compete in the CIHR Canadian National Brain Bee to be held May 19 and 20 at McMaster University in Hamilton.

“I thought this was a fun chance to compete in neuroscience, and see the University,” says Dundas.

Eleventh grader Rami Haddadin of F.J. Brennan Catholic High School came in second place and 12th grader Simona Brezeanu from Tecumseh Vista Academy Secondary School finished third.

UWindsor’s Brain Bee was organized by biomedical sciences professor Jeff Dason, experiential learning specialist Michelle Bondy, and student volunteers from Dr. Dason’s lab: Claire Richter Gorey, Allie St. Louis, Dunya Assaf, Adam Sghaier, and Nadia Marangelli.

“Brain Bee competitions are held around the world and it’s a great way to get high school students interested in neuroscience,” Dason says. “This was the first in-person Brain Bee in Windsor and we hope to expand it in future years.”

—Sara Elliott

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers selected Lancer defensive back Breton MacDougall in the May 2 Canadian Football League draft.

MacDougall totalled 35 tackles and two interceptions in the 2022 season.

Winnipeg has been something of a draft destination for Windsor players, including running back Daryl Stephenson in 2008, linebacker Frank Renaud in 2016, and offensive lineman Drew Desjarlais in 2019.

In total, CFL teams selected 57 U Sports players out of 72 picks in eight rounds. Read more.