As a twenty seven year old novice nurse manager with a newly minted master’s degree in hand, I fondly remember our “office chats”. We sat at a very large oval table overflowing with recently published books and articles—ranging in topics from ethics, organizational behaviour, nursing and philosophy. Our conversations were a master class in wisdom, provided by a sage coach with a wealth of knowledge and insight, gained from years of nursing management practice coupled with life experience. My most cherished recollection of Evelyn’s leadership was that she let me “explore” with profound trust in my potential, while reminding me that sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.
Evelyn paved the way for so many nurses to contribute to the care of children and their families; she helped build a strong community of nurse researchers, nurse educators and highly competent clinicians. Her legacy lives on in how we “see the world” and the immense potential of the nursing profession to contribute to health for all.”
Susan Drouin
Associate Professor,
Ingram School of Nursing
I had the privilege of taking on leadership positions at the Children's with Evelyn's extraordinary guidance and mentorship, upon completion my masters degree in nursing. In particular, as a junior head nurse of the pediatric ICU, Evelyn helped me understand that my work as a "nursing manager" should always be centered on advancing nursing. I should always promote a rich vision for nursing, continually striving to create conditions for nurses to fulfill their moral commitment to their profession and their community. She taught how to lead with vision and courage, always making me feel safe as I frequently attempted novel unconventional approaches to nursing management. Those years of mentorship helped shape my aspirations and convictions for the rest of my career. I am so deeply grateful for her boundless generosity.
Franco Carnevale
Professor,
Ingram School of Nursing
I was a staff nurse during most of the time Evelyn was Director of Nursing at the Children’s. I benefitted from her vision of nursing on multiple levels. I think the most important one was the focus on continuing education.
I was encouraged to continue by education in Nursing, and obtained both my Baccalaureate degree as well as my Masters degree in Nursing.
I also benefitted from multiple other initiatives, which permitted me to perform the full scope of my role: attending unit and hospital wide workshops, opportunities to have a preceptor and to be a preceptor, leadership training, and multiple opportunities to better understand pediatric critical care.
I understood through these opportunities presented to me and my peers, that nursing knowledge was critical to making good decisions and to providing the best nursing care. Ultimately, everybody worked together to provide the best care for all children at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. It was clear that her vision was that could only happen if nurses were well educated and understood the scope of their role and their role responsibilities. That was not in the hands of others, but in ours. This was formidable to a young, motivated nurse!
Louise Murray
Director, Clinical Partnerships Office,
Ingram School of Nursing