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Written by Brittany Friesen

Rachel Ollivier’s academic journey intertwines artful relationality and pragmatic research within the nursing profession. Already a Doctorally-prepared Registered Nurse, she is presently completing her final practicum within the Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner Diploma program at Queen’s University, which will be the capstone of her academic achievement.

Interested in a health care related profession early on, it was the person-centred element of nursing that drew Rachel in: “Medicine was an idea, but I liked that nursing was patient-facing right away,” she explains. She also acknowledges the role of her late grandmother, who brought Rachel along during her work providing pastoral care in Calgary.

“She very much led with her heart,” Rachel reflects, and shares a similar desire to focus on the personhood of her patients.

This interest in person-centred healthcare is what led her to enroll in the University of British Columbia Okanagan’s (UBCO) undergraduate nursing program. During the last year of her  degree, Rachel’s program gave her the opportunity to travel to Zambia. There, she immersed herself in the clinical aspects of patient care and began to understand the research partnerships between the local providers and professors at UBCO. Two years after graduating as a registered nurse, Rachel travelled to the neighbouring country of Tanzania, to pursue research with a maternal health focus. The exposure to global health practices gave her a deep appreciation for the role of relationships and trust within the health care systems in Zambia and Tanzania.

Back in Canada, Rachel continued her education on the east coast, completing a Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing degree at Dalhousie University after fast-tracking from their master’s program. She recognized that her passion for global postpartum health could be further explored with by focusing on sexual health after childbirth.

“There are still massive gaps in what we know about sexual health postpartum,” Rachel explains. “My research focused on the individual postpartum person themselves rather than just in the context of their relationship”.

While traditionally a doctoral degree is seen as the final stop of post-secondary education, in 2022 Rachel  enrolled in the Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioner (PHCNP) Diploma program at Queen’s University. Drawn to the program because of the convenience of a one-year program that recognized her already completed doctoral degree, she also appreciates the program’s diverse catchment area for clinical placements.

Rachel feels her previous research experience in women’s sexual health empowered her  to engage thoroughly with the PHCNP program’s course curriculum. She notes that there are many ways for Nurse Practitioners to bring research into practice when supporting conversations with patients about sexual health. Rachel also identified opportunities for primary care providers to collaborate with other interprofessional health team members, such as pelvic floor physiotherapists or sexual health specialist nurses; together they can be key resources in providing excellent and open care to patients.

A Vanier Scholar during her doctorate degree, Rachel’s most recent honor came this past April, when she was recognized as a Top 25 Women of Influence in Canada. After graduation and successful registration as a nurse practitioner, she plans to return to British Columbia to pursue clinical practice and research.

“I now have all the tools in my belt to do whatever I want to do,” Rachel reflects, “Whatever door opens, I will be able to pursue clinical or research work in avenues that are meaningful to me.”