Pasquale Fiore

British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), British Columbia, Canada.

Abstract Title: Connectivity activity among nursing instructors fostering collegiality

Biography:

Pasquale is a Registered Nurse specialized in psychiatry. He has worked in many clinical areas such as medical-surgical units, psychiatry, respiratory care, community nursing, and as a MediVac nurse with the Northern Quebec community of Puvirnituq. Pasquale has also worked in management as a nursing coordinator for several nursing homes, as the Director of Health Care Program and as a Regional Nursing Director for the private sector of education. He is been working as a nursing instructor for the past 19 years and teaches nursing students in year 1 at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT).

Research Interest:

Nursing instructors are dedicated to their students’ success; we discuss what we can do to improve our class activities and provide guidance to new faculty. In the last 5 years, BCIT has experienced increased numbers of faculty in the Nursing Department with a mandate to graduate more students to respond to healthcare system shortages. At this same time how can we build collegiality among instructors in this dynamic growth? Do we know each other? The literature discusses the challenges of developing collegiality among instructors, as well as some possible solutions. The idea was to break this isolation for the term 1 team, fostering a sense of community by developing a connectivity activity among peers. This opportunity allows faculty to come together online by TEAMS and convey with a guest speaker, an expert in a specific nursing field of practice. The guest speaker is usually a nurse working in a dedicated field, passionate enough to share their interest in a 30-minute presentation. Faculty will then have the next 30 minutes to share their perspective, increasing knowledge and learning from colleagues’ experiences. This activity is held twice in our 12-week term. The only rule is to not discuss students’ issues; the focus is on the faculty and fostering collegiality