Looking Back on Her Final Clinical Group

Associate Professor Dr. Lee Murray has been a nurse for 50 years, been facilitating student community clinical nursing groups for 22 years, and a faculty member with the University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Nursing for 20 years, but come spring, she is closing this chapter of her life and retiring.

“I am very excited about retirement, as there are so many things I plan to do, but I will miss people at the College of Nursing – the relationships, the connections, but most of all the students,” said Murray.

Working with student clinical groups has always been a passion of Dr. Murray’s. The last nursing student group she had the pleasure of working with was NURS 431 Community Nursing Practice at Bethlehem and E.D. Feehan Catholic High Schools in Saskatoon, which concluded in December 2020. In both schools, Dr. Murray and her students worked with adolescents with developmental disabilities.

“I am happy to retire, but I was also sad on occasion during the term knowing it was my last clinical group of students to facilitate,” comments Dr. Murray. “I feel blessed to have had 8 creative, enthusiastic, and dedicated students for my last clinical group…“no pressure” I told them. I have always enjoyed teaching clinical and will truly miss the relationships with nursing students, the high school students, and members of the interprofessional team that are all part of a successful community experience.”

In her years of being a nurse and teaching, Dr. Murray doesn’t remember being challenged as much as she has been during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The biggest obstacle was always the unknown. We were very grateful for being welcomed into the schools, but there was always a sense of uncertainty that we may not be able to continue.” But amongst all the uncertainty, she felt the biggest reward was the renewed appreciation for relationships and how important that is for the nurse-patient relationship and all relationships in clinical practice. “It was a reminder and invaluable lesson for the fourth year students, as they will soon embark on their nursing careers. On the last day of clinical, the nursing students realized in spite of completing their clinical experience during a very challenging time, they had established very significant relationships and there were smiles and tears from the high school students, the nursing students, and the teachers.”

Despite having to wear masks and shields and continually having to find new ways to engage and connect with the high school students, Dr. Murray and her nursing students had a rewarding last clinical experience together.

Some of her students, Emily Regular, Katie Dutchak, Nicole Williams, and Sydney Condon, were asked to reflect back on their time completing a clinical experience during a pandemic with Dr. Murray. Their answers are shared below.

Completing your last year of nursing studies must be an exciting time, but during the current pandemic, how was your most recent clinical experience with Dr. Murray impacted?

Emily: Completing our clinical during the pandemic was quite challenging. We were physically pulled from the schools for about three weeks, but Dr. Murray ensured our clinical group had opportunities to continue working on our skills online.

Katie: Our community placement was a roller coaster of changing adaptations! Dr. Murray was a great example of transparency and communication throughout the placement and pushed us in a supportive way to continue finding learning opportunities, even with the unpredictable nature of the pandemic.

Nicole: The pandemic limited in-person interactions with the high school students. Dr. Murray worked with us on developing presentations for the students virtually and ensuring we still maintained a virtual presence in the classroom when we couldn’t be there in person.

Sydney: A community placement is unlike any other opportunity we’ve had throughout our program. Unfortunately, when we were physically pulled out of the schools, we were just starting to really notice that a large part of being a community health nurse is allowing yourself to be immersed in the community. Although our in-person time was cut short, we were still able to complete our competencies virtually and most importantly, maintain connections with the students. I felt lucky to have Dr. Murray, who has made a lasting impression on this community, to help us navigate these uncertain times.

What was the best part of your clinical experience with Dr. Murray?

Emily: The best part about this clinical rotation was learning about the disparities that exist within our city. We performed community health assessments and learned a lot about the areas of the city we were working in, which helped us tailor our plans to the students’ needs. It was a really eye-opening experience.

Katie: My favorite part of the clinical experience with Dr. Murray was the lunchtime chats, where we asked questions about her nursing career, what it was like as a new grad for her, her favourite spots to work, most bizarre stories, etc. It was really special to sit down in a relaxed setting and listen to her experiences.

Nicole: The best part of the experience was getting to work with Dr. Murray to deliver sexual health education to students with developmental disabilities. I came to understand the importance of sexual health education in this population and ways in which we, as nurses, can support them in protecting themselves and developing healthy relationships. Dr. Murray has created an amazing program that addresses serious topics in ways that are engaging and meaningful for the students. It was also lots of fun performing the puppet shows with Dr. Murray and seeing how much the students connected to the puppets and really understood the take home messages.

Sydney: Entering a community placement in a school setting was new for us as students and therefore, it was a bit daunting. Dr. Murray made sure we were supported throughout the process and I felt empowered to engage myself in the experience. My favourite part was making a strong connection to the students I had the opportunity to work with.

Although the pandemic most likely made your entire clinical experience difficult, what would you say was the biggest challenge? Biggest reward?

Emily: The biggest challenge faced during this clinical experience was doing online learning. The biggest reward was making a difference in the lives of the children we worked with.

Katie: The biggest challenge was finding ways to make our limited interactions with the students impactful and memorable, without much time to create strong rapport. The most rewarding part was persevering through that challenge and making those connections with the students and seeing their reaction to the teaching plans we were able to deliver! These students made such an impact on me; I was sad to say goodbye on the last day.

Nicole: The biggest challenge was maintaining a presence in the classroom when we were not able to be there in-person. We weren’t sure as to how the disruption would affect our ability to engage the students in presentations. Working with the students in-person was one of the most fulfilling parts of the clinical, so it was hard to not get to interact with them in-person as much as we originally would have been. Getting to know the students and working to deliver content in ways that was both engaging and fun was a wonderful learning experience. Seeing the student’s enthusiasm and hearing their stories was one of the most rewarding parts of the clinical.

Sydney: The biggest challenge would have been the uncertainty about how long we would be able to physically stay at the schools and whether or not it would make it difficult to maintain connections. However, I feel extremely grateful to have worked with the cohort of students I was assigned. The biggest reward was being able to experience the community at E.D. Feehan. I personally made a lasting connection with the student I worked with and to see the improvement we made in a short amount of time, was my highlight.

What were some of the innovative things you were able to try during the clinical as a result of the pandemic, that you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to?

Emily: Due to the pandemic, we had to do some of our presentations for the students online. Connecting with the students this way was quite fun.

Katie: We had built such a good rapport at the beginning of clinical, but when we were unable to be in the school for a few weeks, we were worried about losing that trust and relationship with the students, so we did zoom hangouts over their lunch hour to keep a friendly and relaxed rapport going! Not something I would have ever expected to be part of my placement experience, but a fun adaptation!

Nicole: Some of our classmates were able to deliver student presentations virtually with great success; however, the students we were working with benefited from in-person activities during the presentations to help them apply the information. This made virtual presentations not as effective for our student group. We also participated in interprofessional meetings that allowed us to be part of discussions focused on supporting high risk students and educators working with these students. While we could not be there in person, finding ways to be part of these discussions was helpful in understanding some of the individual and systemic challenges faced by students and where supports may be required to better assist them in staying safe and participating in their own educational and social development.

Sydney: The extensive use of technology! Being able to utilize GoogleMeets to connect with the class when we were not physically in the school.

How does completing this clinical during a pandemic prepare you for work you will do as a future Registered Nurse? 

Emily: I think facing the hardships that COVID-19 has brought us during this clinical is going to be beneficial to our future as registered nurses. We have learned to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and found ways to remain connected and continue learning, despite the difficult times. I believe this has built resiliency, which is an important component of being a registered nurse.

Katie: One of the biggest learning takeaways from this clinical was how adaptive nurses can and need to be. You can have the best, most thought-out, organized plan in the world, but life has a way of keeping things interesting and challenging you. This rotation was no different. Rolling with the punches, while keeping the students as the focus and their care and learning as the priority helped us persevere. That is incredibly transferable to the type nurse I am striving to be, one that keeps the patient or client at the focus of all decisions and efforts.

Nicole: This clinical during a pandemic has really instilled in me the importance of being adaptable and finding ways to adjust quickly to any changes in the workplace. These changes will inevitably happen, so finding professional and personal strategies to embrace change and cope with challenges will be of benefit moving forward.

Sydney: As much as the pandemic is changing our nursing program, I think in many ways it is preparing us as frontline workers. We are lucky we get to experience a pandemic, while still having the role of a student. We have been able to see how the Saskatchewan Health Authority and registered nurses respond to situations, such as these. Although, we often are not able to fully engage in the situations nurses are being brought into, we have been exposed to it and have the opportunity to help lighten the heavy load the healthcare system is facing.

Do you have any last words you would like to share with Dr. Murray as she heads into retirement?

Emily: I would like to thank Dr. Murray for being so considerate, caring, understanding, and accommodating throughout this clinical rotation. I really admire her focus on mental health and sexual health for intellectually disabled youth, and hope the current team continues on strongly in her absence. She has definitely made a difference in the lives of so many.

Katie: Thank you so much to Dr. Murray, who has advocated for students in so many ways and kept us and our learning as her priority at all times during such a difficult rotation. It was a heck of a clinical experience for her to finish with, but she is going out with a bang. Teaching during a pandemic is something not everyone could pull off, and I believe she did so in a way that was powerful and meaningful. Thank you Dr. Murray for all you have done in your teaching career; the nursing community is better off having had you in it for the duration of your career!

Nicole: Dr. Murray was extremely supportive and encouraging throughout the clinical. I wish her all the best in her retirement.

Sydney: It was an honour to be in Dr. Murray’s last clinical group!