As Katy and Elizabeth prepare to graduate, they are both excited and scared to get started in the careers they know will make a huge difference to the health of individuals in BC, and wherever their careers take them.

While they rave about the classroom experience and the close-knit supportive environment, both women maintain that it is the friendship they have formed with each other that has been the most memorable. That friendship and their shared enthusiasm for the NP role led them to challenge themselves to step outside of their comfort zones and travel to rural BC on their final practicums.

“The opportunity to work in a small community provides a lot more hands on experience” says Katy. “You get to do a lot more than you would in an urban setting and you really get to know your patients. The clinics that Elizabeth and I worked in were the ideal NP setting, involving collaborative partnerships between physicians and NPs.”

“My priority is family practice and primary care” says Elizabeth. “I want to see my patients across their lifespan, from kids to geriatric. I want to be in a clinic where my role involves all aspects of my patients’ health.” As an RN, says Katy, “I always felt like there was a barrier; I wanted to do a little bit more, but I knew it wasn’t within my scope as a nurse. The NP program gave me not only the knowledge, but the scope to be able to do more for my patients.”

Long term, Elizabeth is thinking globally; she wants to travel abroad and work with non-profit organizations in developing countries. Katy on the other hand is thinking closer to home, preferably in rural BC. “I am passionate about chronic disease management and empowering patients to understand and live with their disease and make that manageable for them. I think that’s where the NP role really fits. We are experts at patient education, we have been doing it as nurses our whole careers and we carry that with us as NPs.”

Katy McLachlan and Elizabeth Leonardis
MN-NP 2011

"The UBC program prepared me very well to practice as a family nurse practitioner. I liked the fact that the NP program was onsite, full-time and not distance; it allowed for an interactive learning environment, which was essential for learning this new role. This is why I would recommend this program to a friend."

Leah Hunter
MN-NP 2005