Doctoral Nursing Student
Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, College of Nursing
University of Manitoba
Vicki Charski graduated with her bachelor of arts-honors—major in psychology from the University of Winnipeg in 2000. She then graduated with her bachelor of nursing—honors—with distinction from the University of Manitoba in 2007; and enrolled in the master of nursing program in the college of nursing at the University of Manitoba in 2018. She then fast-tracked into the PhD program in January 2020.
Her research interests relate to the role of the public health nurse (PHN) in reducing health inequities through public health advocacy at the community and policy level, public health nurse interventions that support individuals and families who are experiencing structural disadvantage to increase their health and well-being, while factoring in upstream structural factors and mechanisms that perpetuate health inequities. Her thesis research will focus on PHN’s role in facilitating readiness for school for children within structurally disadvantaged families.
She has acquired front-line nursing leadership experience while working as a public health nurse with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA). She has experience engaging in interprofessional collaboration with multiple levels of leadership to create various guidelines to support public health nurse practice. She was involved in a working group that created the professional practice model (PPM) for public health nurses in the WRHA; and she has experience engaging others to support the change management process related to the implementation of the PPM into practice. She has experience creating professional partnerships in the community to help address the health needs of individuals who are experiencing structural disadvantage. She also gained experience networking and engaging with inter-regional leaders within the population and public health branch of the health sector in Manitoba during a10-week project with Manitoba Health Seniors and Active Living.
She is a member of the Association of Regulated Nurses of Manitoba (ARNM), the Manitoba Public Health Association (MPHA), the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA), the Graduate Nurses Student Association (GNSA), and Sigma.
Graduate Awards:
2020: Child Health Graduate Studentship in Nursing
2019: Manitoba Training Program Studentship in 2019
2019: Green Memorial Fellowship