Indigenous Student Nurse Education Bursary 2024

2024 Recipient: Erin Hansen

Erin Hansen is in her third year of study in the RN program at the University of the Fraser Valley. Hansen was first inspired by her mom to pursue nursing, “My mom has been a nurse for over 25-years, and I could not imagine her in any other profession. She is an altruistic, genuine, and a hard-working woman who I have always looked up to. Her work environment and the friendships she has created over the years have given me a positive outlook on nursing”.

Hansen volunteered in her local ER during the pandemic, and it cemented her desire to become a nurse, “I witnessed the impact of the pandemic on patients and health-care staff, and it strengthened my resolve to help those in need”. She always wanted a career where she would be caring for others. “Nursing offers the opportunity to have a meaningful impact on the lives of others while experiencing personal and professional growth”, said Hansen.

The Indigenous Student Nurse Education Bursary is an initiative of BCNU's Indigenous Leadership Circle (ILC). The bursary reflects the union's ongoing support for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's 94 Calls to Action; in particular, the call to increase the number of Indigenous professionals in health care. The annual bursary is open to Indigenous BCNU student members who are studying to become an LPN, RN or RPN, including those currently working as an employed student nurse (ESN).

2024 ISNEB Indigenous Nurse Leader

The ISNEB is inspired by Indigenous nurse leaders. Each year, ILC dedicates an individual in whose name the bursary is being awarded. For 2024, the ILC is delighted to name Patrick Thomas.

Patrick Thomas started work in general and community hospitals in Winnipeg after graduating from Victoria General Hospital School of Nursing in 1970. He moved to Vancouver in 1980 to work at UBC and Shaughnessy Hospitals before becoming a supervisor at the Great Northern Way Detox Center, later known as Vancouver Detox.

As the nursing supervisor, Thomas was influential in the development of nursing protocols at the Onsite Detox. Thomas was involved in BCNU’s Indigenous Leadership Circle (ILC) when it was first formed, and identifies the experience as one of the most rewarding parts of his career, prior to his retirement.