I am a graduate of the St. FX School of Nursing from 1975 and received my Masters in Nursing from Dalhousie University in 1990. My areas of clinical work have included General Medicine, Geriatrics and Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing.  I have worked in staff nurse and Nursing Administration positions over the course of my 42 year career. My career in the local Health Authority started in 1987 and entailed setting up the initial Geriatric Assessment and Rehabilitation Unit and Service, followed by managing the District’s Mental Health Services for 19 years.  Since my retirement from our local Health Authority in 2013, I have held a variety of part time positions at the Rankin School of Nursing ranging from Academic Instructor—providing in-class lectures and learning--to Nurse Educator—taking students into a variety of relevant clinical practice sites. My major focus of both clinical and teaching work has been in the area of mental health and addiction nursing.