Nursing & Healthcare

Biography

Dr. June Anonson has been actively involved in leadership in various capacities since 2005. She has been recognized for her leadership and exemplary service as a recipient of numerous honours and prestigious awards including the Saskatchewan Registered Nurses’ Association Elizabeth Van Valkenburg Award for Leadership in Nursing Education, the Centennial award for Nursing Leadership in Saskatchewan, along with numerous other awards for outstanding Leadership and Education in nursing. June is currently a Full Professor with the University of Saskatchewan; Director for the Institute for Nursing Scholarship; and Acting Director for the Office of Applied Research and Innovation at Saskatchewan Polytechnic.

Research Interest

Effective and inspired nursing leadership is required in our fast-paced, ever-changing healthcare system. Point of care nurses in practice and education experience challenges and nurse leaders must be equipped with an arsenal of skills, knowledge and abilities to support their teams. Added to these challenges is that of the impending nursing shortage in Canada. The Canadian Nurses Association (2013) reports that the shortage of Canadian registered nurses will be 60,000 by 2022. Currently, the nursing workforce spans four generations, each with its own values, work behaviors, relationship styles, and motivation (Dols, Landrum, & Wieck, 2010). Harnessing the positive attributes of each generation and supporting them effectively, nurse leaders need to adapt themselves and/or the environment and understand the different needs and preferences of the generations (Dols, Landrum, & Wieck, 2010; Stanley, 2010). It has been demonstrated that leadership can be taught and effectively implemented into practice (Curtis, Sheerin, & de Vries, 2011). This presentation will provide an opportunity to look at nursing leadership in the past, what it looks like today, and where we want to take it for the future. This will support the mentoring of student and novice nurses, our nurse leaders of the future. In this interactive presentation, dialogue will occur with participants, sharing their ideas and suggestions for nurse leadership in Canada for the future. Along with participants attending this presentation, nurse leaders and student nurses (Graduate and Undergraduate) from across Canada will provide input into their perceptions of nursing leadership.