USask Master of Nursing Graduate Finds Love in Teaching
Carmen Chalupiak completed her MN, as she knows teaching the next generation of nurses is where she was meant to be.
University of Saskatchewan (USask) Master of Nursing recent graduate Carmen Chalupiak (BSN’04, MN’24) is confident in saying she has discovered her niche in nursing and that niche is teaching.
After spending 20 years as a neonatal intensive care nurse, one could probably say she’s familiar with most areas of the nursing profession. But it was during her years of practice that she found that educator spark.
“I was always interested in education and teaching and loved that aspect of being a nurse”, says Chalupiak.
“I was a clinical nurse educator for five years and wanted to further my own education to teach full time.”
Naturally, Chalupiak returned to the place where it all started, USask College of Nursing.
Much has changed since she first graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2004.
She has two children, 12 and 14 years old, a ton of nursing experience under her belt, and thanks to advancements in technology, she was able to take her master’s program online rather than in-person.
While online learning and being a student again were adjustments, not to mention the juggling act of balancing homelife and school with her fulltime job, Chalupiak says the result was worth it.
“I loved the online program option, that was a priority for me,” she says. “I really enjoyed the program, as it aligned directly to what I was doing to further my career.”
Chalupiak says the advanced nursing knowledge she gained through her master in nursing degree has solidified her own teaching, not to mention added a credential highly valued at her workplace.
She currently teaches full time in the Saskatchewan Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing program in Regina, where she mostly teaches undergraduates in third year, introducing them to skills in labour and birth.
Chalupiak says the clinical training she guides her nursing students through makes her miss bedside nursing a bit, but she feels honoured to be in a position to share her own knowledge gained through years of experience and boosted by her new degree.
“I like teaching the next generation of nurses. I feel this is where I was meant to be.”
If you are interested in advancing your nursing education like Carmen, consider USask graduate studies. Applications for the fall 2025 programs will be available starting in October.