My name is Cheryl Besse and I am an Associate Professor (Academic Programming).  I received my BScN in 1992 from the College of Nursing at the University of Saskatchewan.  After working for a few years in Calgary at Foothills Hospital, I returned to the University of Saskatchewan and in 2000 completed my Master of Nursing Degree. My thesis was titled: “Caring in Palliative Care: A family perspective”.

My practice experience as a Registered Nurse is mostly in acute care medical/surgical, burns/microvascular plastic surgery, and obstetrics.  I have been teaching with the College of Nursing since 1994 and have taught in a variety of courses throughout all years of the BSN and PDBSN programs.  My areas of interest are health assessment, obstetrical nursing and teaching. 

I hold advanced certifications from the Canadian Nurses Association in Perinatal Nursing (PNC(C)) and from the Canadian Nurse Educator Institute as a Clinical Instructor (CCCI) and Nurse Educator (CCNE).  In 2012 I received the Provost’s Award for Outstanding Teaching in the College of Nursing and was a nominee for a USSU Teaching Excellence Award.   In 2015, I was honoured to receive a USSU Teaching Excellence Award.  Most recently, I was awarded the 2020 SRNA Elizabeth Van Valkenburg Award for Excellence in Nursing Education.

By combining my knowledge of perinatal nursing and expertise as a clinical teacher I have been able to develop an academic field of specialization in nursing education and scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) with an emphasis on teaching strategies and evaluation in the clinical setting.  I have disseminated my scholarly work via publications in reputable peer reviewed nursing education journals and presentations at numerous regional, national and international conferences.

I am passionate about nursing, caring, students, maternal and infant health and teaching.  I feel privileged to be a part of the students’ journey and to have the opportunity to share my passion with students at the College of Nursing.

• Nursing Education
• Feedback and evaluation in the clinical setting
• Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
• Maternal Newborn Nursing

Besse, C., & Vogelsang, L. (2018). The WRAP: An alternative to sandwich feedback in clinical nursing education. The Journal of Nursing Education, 57(9), 570. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20180815-12

Vogelsang, L., & Besse, C. (2019). The PREP mnemonic: A framework to integrate clinical preparation in nursing education. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 14(2), 85-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2018.12.002

Besse, C., Vogelsang, L., & Zdunich, J. (2020). The simulation games: Bringin' it to the bedside. Nurse Educator, 11 May 2020. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000000832

Besse, C. (2020). BSPOTTED: A strategy to guide and evaluate nursing students in the clinical setting. Nurse Educator, 45(2), 61-62. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000000675

Brown, J., McDonald, M., Besse, C., Manson, P., McDonald, R., Rohatinsky, N., & Singh, M. (2020). Anxiety, mental illness, learning disabilities, and learning accommodation use: A cross-sectional study. Journal of Professional Nursing. 11 August 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2020.08.007

Brown, J., McDonald, M., Besse, C., Manson, P., McDonald, R., Rohatinsky, N., & Singh, M. (in press). Nursing students academic success factors: A quantitative cross-sectional study. Nurse Educator. Accepted for publication March 2021.

Li H (Principal Investigator), Balbuena LC (Co-investigator), Besse C (Co-investigator). Psychometric Properties of the Affective Lability Scale -18 in Pregnancy and Postpartum Women, Investigate Psychometric Properties of the Affective Lability Scale -18 in Pregnancy and Postpartum Women CIHR Seed Grant College of Nursing. Total: $9,875.00 for 2019 to 2020

Brown J (Principal Investigator), McDonald M (Co-principal Investigator), Besse C (Co-investigator), Rohatinsky N (Co-investigator), Manson P (Co-investigator). Factors in Nursing Students' Academic Success during Program Progression. Western North-Western Region Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (WNRCASN) Educational Innovation Award. Total: $5,000.00 for 2018-2019

Ferguson L (Principal Investigator), Berry L (Co-investigator), Besse C (Co-investigator), Bowen A (Co-investigator), Evans R (Co-investigator), Fowler-Kerry S (Co-investigator), Hewson K (Co-investigator), Kent-Wilkinson A (Co-investigator), Spurr S (Co-investigator). Enhancing the student learning experience through lecture capture. Western Region Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (WRCASN) Education Research Award. Total: $5,000.00 for 2009 to 2010