Itâs always nice to be recognized for the work you do. Itâs even nicer to be recognized on a national level by the students you work with.
Christina Elgee, the nurse manager for ±«Óătv Student Health & Wellness, recently received the Award for the Recognition of Preceptors and Mentors.
Elgee was nominated by former Nursing student, Martha Paynter, and the class of 2017 for the contribution she has made to the education of Nursing students at ±«Óătv, her progressive thinking and her passion for social justice.
âChristina is the most creative, progressive nurse leader,â says Paynter. âShe trusts her students, enables their success, and supports their vision.â
Josh Vriends, a second-year accelerated Nursing student, says Elgee was the ideal person to receive the award because of her dedication to students.
âChristinaâs always trying to come up with innovative new ideas to engage with students and promote health and wellness,â he says. âShe's also very supportive of all her student staff and is flexible with our sometimes crazy schedules.â
Hands-on experience for students
Every year Elgee works with 50-60 nursing students in the undergraduate and accelerated programs. As their preceptor, she helps them turn their academic knowledge into hands-on clinical experience.
âMy goal is to ensure students get a holistic wellness experience,â says Elgee. âStudents learn to practice nursing in a practical way and get real-world experience.â
As the nurse manager with Student Health & Wellness, her focus is on student wellness outreach and engagement for which she develops programming to educate students in sexual health, mental health, sleep, and alcohol and substance harm reduction.
âOur team works diligently to ensure we are meeting studentsâ needs,â says Elgee. âWe try to improve studentsâ wellness at every level, based on their feedback, data, research, and years of experience.â
Elgeeâs connections with the School of Nursing allow for many nursing students to be involved with program development and implementation, including the STI clinics held twice a week. Ainsley Lofstedt, the Student Health & Wellness Outreach intern, credits Elgeeâs unwavering support for her smooth transition into a new role.
âChristina keeps my imposter syndrome in check, supports my decisions, and has taught me so much as a mentor,â says Lofstedt. âI consider myself very lucky to have a boss who makes time to check in with me even when I just want to chat about life."
A focus on student wellness
Elgee is also âthe nurseâ behind the âAsk a Nurse!â service run by Student Health & Wellness. The online program provides an outlet for students to ask uncomfortable or embarrassing health-related questions anonymously. âThink of it like the âquestion boxâ from Sex-Ed in high school,â she says.
Elgee has a masterâs in Public Health and is passionate about creating health equity for every ±«Óătv student. She sees student wellness as a perfect combination of education, harm reduction and prevention.
âI love working with students as they are such a diverse group with unique needsâI have a lot to learn from them too,â she says. âI'm honoured to know that I'm having a positive impact on future health professionals. It feels wonderful!â