Student Testimonials

So many opportunities

My name is Monica Polania and I entered my fourth and final year of the BScN program in September 2011. Before I started the program, I knew that nursing was a profession full of opportunities, but what I never imagined were the opportunities available to me as a McMaster nursing student! Over my first three years at McMaster I was presented with so many opportunities.

The BScN program works hard to create learning opportunities for all students in a variety of areas, not only academic and clinical, but also professionalism, advocacy, and leadership. As a student, I have seen qualities in the faculty and peers around me that I have appreciated and wanted to mirror, including passion for the profession and one's colleagues.

Using the foundation this program develops in its students has led me to build initiative and passion for the profession, program and my fellow students. I have enjoyed participating in faculty development days; providing a student’s perspective on curriculum implementation for faculty members; being a part of the University’s student government; organizing welcome week for incoming nursing students; attending conferences with hundreds of nursing students from across Canada; meeting incredible and inspiring people like Cathy Crowe and Jean Watson; and being the president of the McMaster Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Society.

This program is full of the most amazing people you will ever meet: peers, faculty, and RNs, and I know that because of this School and these people I have changed so much and I hope to one day be able to provide opportunities for others like those provided for me.

Monica Polania, fourth-year BScN student

Incredible and life-changing

My name is Larissa Beney and I graduated from the McMaster School of Nursing in 2010. My time at McMaster was incredible and life-changing. The unique person-based style of learning was instrumental in the development of my critical thinking and problem solving skills. This program taught me so much more than the foundational nursing skills essential for clinical practice. I developed leadership and group process skills unique to the style of classroom learning which I continue to apply in meeting scenarios. Throughout the program, foundational sciences were intertwined with nursing concepts giving me the knowledge and understanding needed to be a contributing member of the healthcare team. This program gave me the foundation and equipped me with the skills I need to build a successful career as a registered nurse.

Larissa Beney, BScN graduate