• RNAO
• ONA

• Nursing Innovation Grant

1) Bachelor of Nursing (joint collaborative program of Humber College and UNB)– 2023
2) Advanced Cardiac Life Support — 2024
3) Pediatric Advanced Life Support — 2024
4) Basic Life Support– 2024
5) Cardiology Nursing Level 1 (Humber College) — 2023
6) Advanced Stroke/Code Teal Responder Training (with Halton Healthcare) — 2024
7) Peritoneal Dialysis Certification (with Halton Healthcare) — 2023
8) Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) Certification– 2020
9) Preceptor Training Program (with Halton Healthcare) — 2024
10) Basic Wound Care Workshop (with Halton Healthcare) — 2024

We aim to provide a platform to nurses across Canada. Our primary users will include nursing students, newly licensed nurses, and experienced nurses. The platform will enhance educational opportunities and foster critical thinking skills, featuring a comprehensive informative database and access to badge cards for quick reference to essential materials. Many nursing students enter their clinical practicums unprepared, unknowing of what to expect. Our cards will provide them with an instructional guideline to allow for competent, effective, safe patient care.

Our vision is to create an interactive online platform that equips student nurses and new nurses with the knowledge they need to succeed in their careers while fostering a community for experienced nurses. We aspire to ignite a passion for learning by utilizing animated video modules, transforming education into an enjoyable and effective experience. Our focus extends beyond theoretical concepts; we commit to equipping our learners with practical, real-world applications essential to nursing.
The primary offerings of our platform include badge cards that offer quick, convenient access to vital information. We also hope to implement a Learning Management System (LMS) tailored for nursing students with diverse learning styles, as well as establish an online community where nurses can connect, share experiences, and support one another. We hope to enhance the educational journey for nurses across Canada, fostering both competence and confidence in their essential roles within our healthcare system.

We recognize the extensive spectrum of nursing educational platforms available to nursing students. However, we have identified a significant gap in these offerings: none are explicitly designed to instruct nursing students on what practices to perform and what common mistakes to avoid. A significant number of educational resources tend to emphasize what students should do, while often overlooking the importance of guiding what should not be done. This gap can hinder a comprehensive understanding of nursing processes.
With an increasing prevalence of online nursing programs, there is a concerning lack of support and individualized attention given to students, which is vital for their success. This gap highlights the urgent need for an innovative approach that benefits the nursing profession and enhances public health outcomes. As experienced nurses, we have witnessed numerous students embarking on clinical placements lacking fundamental skills and knowledge necessary for effective patient care, including basic procedural competencies.

This project in nursing education will be a vital resource that offers easy access to best practices and critical thinking strategies. By providing procedural instructions for essential actions and potential pitfalls, students will receive guidance from experienced nurses, preparing them for real-life clinical situations. This practical approach enhances their learning and builds confidence as they transition from classroom theory to clinical practice.
For instance, when administering total parenteral nutrition (TPN), nursing students are taught that disconnecting TPN from a patient’s line substantially increases the risk of infection. Our initiative goes further, including troubleshooting tips, such as contacting the physician and pharmacist, initiating D10W (or other fluids indicated by the institutional policy), and keeping the patient and family informed.
Our project seeks to empower nursing students and professionals, supplying them with critical knowledge and resources needed to excel in their roles and elevate patient care.

Implementing our initiative involves developing a comprehensive set of professional “Dos and Don’ts” reference cards tailored for new nurses and nursing students. This process will be collaborative and structured, engaging various stakeholders within our organization and beyond. We intend to ensure that our distinct card bundles, such as telemetry, nephrology, or neurology, are effectively integrated into their respective specialized units. Many nursing students may lack information pertinent to specialized units, highlighting the importance of this initiative in enhancing their competency and confidence. Our cards also feature key high-alert details. For example, in our “Foley Catheter Insertion” card, we draw attention to the fact that a urine output of <30mL/hr prompts one to investigate further for potential renal issues, necessitating further interventions.
Within our organization, we will collaborate with various stakeholders, including experienced nurses, clinical educators, and healthcare experts, to meticulously curate the content for the instructional cards. By leveraging their insights and knowledge, we will ensure that the information included is accurate, relevant, and beneficial for new nursing staff. Once content is finalized, we will begin creating visually engaging and user-friendly reference cards. Each card will focus on a specific clinical topic, essential skill, or crucial intervention, providing clear instructions for execution and common mistakes to avoid, including troubleshooting guides. To facilitate the integration of these cards into daily practice, we may introduce them during nursing students' clinical placements and the new nurse orientation program. This strategy aims to equip novice staff members with immediate access to reference guides for handling various clinical situations they may encounter (i.e. chest tube management, heparin monitoring protocols, etc.).
After implementing the cards, we will collect feedback from users to evaluate their effectiveness. This feedback will be instrumental in identifying areas for improvement, enabling us to continuously refine card content. Our objective is to ensure that these resources remain relevant, practical, and aligned with clinical best practices in a dynamic healthcare environment.
Beyond our organization, we will offer our nursing cards through our online store, enhancing accessibility to a broader audience. Our goal is to proactively engage with various organizations, including hospitals and educational institutions that host nursing students for clinical placements. To facilitate this, we may distribute samples of our badge cards to these organizations, allowing them to experience the quality and impact of our product firsthand. By fostering these partnerships, we aim to extend the reach of our project beyond our organization, cultivating a robust network of support for practicing and aspiring nurses in diverse clinical settings.
In addition, our LMS accommodates students needing further guidance and support through our educational courses (anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, etc.). We also plan to offer general information to the public (example: describing various methods of action for different pharmacological drugs) through our YouTube channel, once it is live.
As two dedicated nurses passionate about teaching, we strive to simplify complex information, making it comprehensible. We aspire to inspire and prepare the next generation of nurses.

Hanan Owda, RPN.
Registered Practical Nurse.