College of Nursing

Biography

P. Susan Wagner is an emeritus professor with the University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Nursing. She was a member of the last graduating class of the 5-year BScN program at USask in 1971. Wagner was an inaugural student and graduate of the MSc (Nursing) at USask in 1984.

Wagner was an RN in Saskatchewan from 1970 – 2005. She was hired as a Nursing Instructor at USask College of Nursing from 1971-1977 and worked part-time until 1983. Throughout the course of her USask career Wagner accepted the position of Assistant Professor tenure-track position in 1984, Tenure in 1988, Associate Professor in 1989, Full Professor in 1996, and took early retirement in 2005.

In addition to her time at the College of Nursing, Wagner held positions in many colleges and organizations:

  • Appointed Faculty Member with USask College of Graduate Studies and Research from 1987 – 2005.
  • Research Associate with the USask Prairie Region Health Promotion Centre from 1993 – 2005.
  • Associate Faculty Member, USask Department Community Health and Epidemiology from 1995 – 2005.
  • Research Associate, Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence from 1997 – 2005.

Wagner had extensive career building involvement in local, provincial, and national health care and nursing education committees during 40-year nursing career. In 2005, she accepted a half-time position University of Lethbridge Faculty of Health Sciences Assistant Professor (Nursing) and retired in 2011. She was an appointed Faculty Member, U of Lethbridge School of Graduate Studies and Research, 2008 – 2011.

Between 2005 and 2015 in Alberta, Wagner accepted several contracts including Consultation for and design of new U of Leth. /Lethbridge College BSN nursing curriculum; Proposal design for U of Leth. MN program; Preparation of Mount Royal College School of Nursing, Calgary, for Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) accreditation; and Evaluation of Licensed Practical Nursing program at Bow Valley College, Calgary.

Research Interests

  • Family caregiver burden
  • Case management
  • Program evaluation for home care services
  • BSN curricula across Canada

Methodology

  • Mixed methods

Courses

USask College of Nursing

  • Chronic Care Nursing
  • Community Health
  • Fourth-Year BScN preceptorship
  • Health Care Management and Policy

USask Graduate Studies and Research

  • Health Program Planning and Evaluation
  • Supervision of Nursing Practicum graduate students

External Committees

  • Founding member, Saskatoon Health Unit Board (public health services), 1979-1983.
  • Founding Member, Saskatoon Home Care District #45 Board, 1980-1986.
  • Chairperson, Palliative Care Project Committee, Saskatoon Home Care Board, 1983-1985.
  • Saskatoon Hospitals Planning Council. Member, Task Force on Palliative Care for Saskatoon, 1985
  • Member, Deputy Minister of Health's Joint Planning Committee on Long Term Care for Saskatoon. Saskatchewan Health, 1986.
  • President, Saskatchewan Community Nurses Group, 1989 - 1991.
  • Member, Board of Directors, Saskatchewan Gerontology Association, 1990 - 1992.
  • Invited Member, National Advisory Committee on Accreditation, Canadian Home Care Association, 1992 - 1995.
  • Founding Member, Saskatoon Health Authority Board, 1992-1999.
  • Chairperson, Saskatoon Health Authority Board, 1995-1998.
  • External Consultant, New Brunswick Extra-Mural Hospital Operational Review, 1995.
  • Member, Technical Advisory Committee, Urban Hospitals Branch, Saskatchewan Health,1992-96.
  • Member, Saskatchewan Cancer Foundation Board, 1995-98.
  • Member, Subcommittee on Information Needs, Health Districts Advisory Committee, Saskatchewan Health, 1997-2000.
  • Member, Developing initial indicators of success for district health boards, Health Districts Advisory committee, Saskatchewan Health,1999-2000.
  • Invited Member, Canadian Nurses’ Association Staff Advisory Committee on Home Care, 1999 - 2001.
  • Invited Member, Provincial External Reference Group on Performance Measurement and Health Indicators, Saskatchewan Health, 2001-2002.
  • Invited Participant, Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation, expert consultation on draft home care regional standards, 2002
  • Delphi Participant, Canadian Home Care Human Resources Sector Study, 2002.
  • Commissioned to create A catalogue: Current strategies for healthy workplaces. Authors: Wagner, P.S., Bookey-Bassett, S., Clement-Gallien, L., & Butler, J. (2002). Advisory Committee on Health Human Resources, Canadian Nursing Advisory Committee, Health Canada.
  • Invited Member, Canadian Health Services Research Foundation Merit Review Panel, 2002, 2003
  • Accreditation Reviewer, Canadian Association of University Schools of Nursing (now CASN), 1998-2006;
  • Member of four collaborative program review teams and Lead Reviewer for two collaborative program reviews, one of which included three institutions.
  • CASN Accreditation Coordinator, Nursing Education Program of Saskatchewan, 2003-2004.
  • Member, Hospital Report Surgical Indicators Panel, Health Policy, Management, and Evaluation Department, University of Toronto, 2004.
  • Member, Work-Life Advisory Committee, Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation, Ottawa, Ontario. 2004-2005.

Honours (Medals, Fellowships, Prizes)

  • Elizabeth Von Volkenburg Award for Leadership in Nursing Education, Saskatchewan Registered Nurses’ Association, May 16, 2001.
  • Finalist for Saskatchewan Healthcare Excellence Award, January 31, 2003.