CHAT News File Photo

By Chris Brown

College instructor receives provincial nursing leadership award

Aug 30, 2023 | 1:17 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – A Medicine Hat College instructor has been honoured with a leadership award by a provincial nursing body.

Stephanie Nowaczyk is a program coordinator and instructor for the practical nurse (PN) and health care aide programs at MHC. She’s been chosen by the by Alberta Nursing Education Administrators (ANEA) as the Leadership in Nursing Education – PN Educator award recipient.

“I was so emotional when I received the award because it really means a lot to be recognized for the hard work that I’ve done,” Nowaczyk says in a release from MHC. “It makes me proud and honoured to be receiving this award and having people nominate me is really special.”

Jason Openo, dean of health and community services at MHC, says Nowaczyk’s leadership has helped to enhance the program and the recognition by her colleagues and peers is well-deserved.

An alumnus of the college’s PN and physical therapy programs, Nowaczyk’s passion for learning and working with nurses drove her to a career as an instructor.

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“I love to see how excited learners get when they really start to think critically and get confident in their skills,” says Nowaczyk. “It really brings me back to when I first started nursing.”

Nowaczyk goes on to say that creating a learning environment in which students feel safe and supported is an important step to ensuring student success. She believes when both students and faculty can learn from the perspectives of others, it improves creativity and growth in the classroom.

This year Nowaczyk helped expand the PN program by 32 seats and created a new intake at the Medicine Hat campus and Brooks.