Professor named associate dean of McMaster’s School of Nursing
[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/TompkinsCatherine2004.jpg” caption=”Catherine Tompkins”]Catherine Tompkins has been appointed associate dean of McMaster University's School of Nursing.
In making the announcement, John Kelton, dean and vice-president of the Faculty of Health Sciences, praised the School of Nursing professor as an excellent educator and efficient administrator.
“Dr. Tompkins has been involved thoroughly in many educational and administrative roles within the School of Nursing, and always takes her responsibilities to a higher level. She knows what nursing needs now, and I look forward to her development of our graduate programs and the ongoing progress of our highly successful collaborative undergraduate nursing program with Conestoga and Mohawk colleges.”
Nursing now demands more highly educated nurses, and the focus of McMaster's nursing program on developing self-directed, life-long learners is more important than ever, said Tompkins. “We're exploring further development in advanced practice and nurse practitioner education.”
As well as increasing the number of advanced practice nurses for the community, she said the school has recently had an increase in government funding to expand the graduate program to develop the nurse educators of the future.
“Not only is there a shortage of nurses in the community, we need more PhD-prepared nurses to become the faculty of nursing schools,” she said. “Our current faculty are getting older.”
She said the school, already known for its research focus, will increase its profile with additional career scientists and research opportunities for junior faculty.
She said she is extremely proud of the first class of 245 nurses of the collaborative Bachelor of Science (Nursing) program, who will graduate at their own convocation ceremony in June. McMaster and its college partners were the first to offer a fully integrated program for the students at the three sites from their first day of classes four years ago.
The new associate dean graduated with a BScN from The University of Western Ontario in 1971, followed by a MEd from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education with a focus on adult education and counseling in 1981, and a PhD in Nursing from the University of California, San Francisco in 1995. During her education she was the recipient of the Helen Preston Glass Award from the Canadian Nurses Foundation in 1988 and a PhD Fellowship Award from Health and Welfare Canada from 1988 to 1991.
Tompkins worked in community health and northern nursing prior to beginning at McMaster in the School of Nursing in 1977. She taught in all levels of the nursing program before assuming the role of chair, B.Sc.N. Program in 1998, followed by her appointment as assistant dean, undergraduate nursing education in 2000. Tompkins became acting associate dean of health sciences (nursing) in January, 2004 and her new position has been effective since July.
She has held a number of administrative roles in the School of Nursing, the Faculty of Health Sciences and McMaster University, including chair of the Northern Clinical Nursing Program, co-ordinator of the Aga Khan Project in Pakistan, chair of the Post-RN stream of the B.Sc.N. Program and chair of the Undergraduate Council Awards Committee. Tompkins has been actively involved in the development of the Collaborative B.Sc.N. Program with Mohawk College and Conestoga College and is chair of the Steering Committee. She also served as a Faculty of Health Sciences representative on the McMaster University Senate from 1998 – 2004.
Tompkins also teaches in the Graduate Program in Nursing and supervises Masters and PhD students. Her research interests lie in the areas of education, disability and chronic illness, and feminist and critical research.
