Prof. Judy Bornais

Academic Qualifications

BA – University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario
BScN – University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario
MSc – University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario

Biography

Judy Bornais has taught at the University of Windsor since 2002 and is currently an Experiential Learning Specialist with the Faculty of Nursing. Previously, Judy was a diabetes educator (C.D.E.) and worked in critical care nursing. She feels that teaching has been at the core of her work in all of these roles. Becoming a classroom educator appealed to Judy as an opportunity to make a broader contribution to health care. Judy passionately communicates to students what a privilege it is to be a nurse and to care for others, to work with families fostering the best possible outcomes. The discipline of nursing draws on a wealth of humanistic and scientific knowledge: students must prepare to apply the knowledge they gain of the science and the art of nursing when caring for patients. To nurture this complex combination of knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes, Judy’s lectures balance evidence-informed research, clinical examples, experiential learning, case studies, student input, and engaged discussion to persuade, inform, and inspire the evolving professionals in her classes.

A key element of professional practice is lifelong learning, required to stay abreast of emerging research and technology that constantly foster new approaches to patient care. Judy’s innovative applications of health pedagogy technologies such as human patient simulators and her constant drive to explore new tools for engaging students truly model this attitude. No matter what the technology or technique, Judy’s teaching, her natural energy and enthusiasm, and her profound commitment to her students, the profession, and learning prepare students to make a difference in the lives of their patients.

Research Interests

Judy’s research focuses on nursing pedagogy, including the use of standardized patients to improve students’ health assessment skills, the use of peer mentors, the use of simulation technology to reinforce and foster caring in nursing students. She is a past recipient of an Elsevier Canada Learning Resource Award and SWOMEN Windsor Advancement of Medical Education Award for her use of teaching technologies and innovative practices to enhance student learning. Judy has been involved in Instructional Skills Workshops (ISW) and has completed the related Facilitator Development Workshop (FDW) which reflects her commitment to helping others develop as teachers. She is a previous board member of and remains active with Sigma Theta Tau International Society of Nursing, Tau Upsilon Chapter, and the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, and is also a member of the Canadian Diabetes Association Diabetes Educator Sector. She lives with her husband, David, and is the proud mother of three children.

Publications and Presentations

Since 2008, Prof. Judy Bornais has had a manuscript accepted for publication; a book chapter printed in a Health Assessment textbook and has presented her research and teaching strategies orally and in poster format at over a dozen workshops and research conferences throughout North America. She has completed her research evaluating the effectiveness of using Standardized Patients in health assessment and is now investigating the use of Standardized Patients in Social work. Her current research study is titled: “Promoting Excellence in Communication Skills Training for Helping Professionals: A Case for Using Standardized Clients”.

Prof. Bornais is also continuing to examine educational interventions to improve the learning experience for nursing students in health assessment. Her current study is titled “"Enhancing the teaching and learning of physical assessment skills: peer mentors as standardized patients".

Selected Publications: Book Chapters:

Judy A. Bornais and Lynn S. Bickley. The Anus, Rectum and Prostate in Stephen, Tracey; Skillen, D. Lynn; Day, Rene; Bickley, Lynn. (2010). Canadian Bates' Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking. Philadelphia: Wolsters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Judy AK Bornais, Collette Foisy-Doll, Leanne Wyrostok. Transforming Nursing Education Using Simulation. In Gregory, D., Raymond-Seniuk, C., & Patrick, L., Fundamentals: Perspectives on the Art and Science of Canadian Nursing, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, – in submitted

Judy AK Bornais. Health Assessment of Clients Across the Lifespan. In Gregory, D., Raymond-Seniuk, C., & Patrick, L., Fundamentals: Perspectives on the Art and Science of Canadian Nursing, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, – in progress

Professional Affiliations and Memberships on Professional Boards and Committees

  • College of Nurses of Ontario
  • Registered Nurses of Ontario
  • RNAO Diabetes Interest Group
  • Sigma Theta Tau International, Iota Omicron Chapter (University of Western Ontario)
  • Sigma Theta Tau International, Tau Upsilon Chapter (University of Windsor)
  • Erie St. Clair Local Health Integration Network Diabetes Project Team – Diabetes Co-Chair
  • Canadian Diabetes Association, Diabetes Educator Sector
  • Canadian Diabetes Association, Credit Maintenance by Portfolio Committee Member
  • Durham College, Critical Care Program Advisory Committee
  • McMaster Online Rating of Evidence System: Evidence Rater

Courses Taught

  • Health Assessment
  • Critical Care Nursing Graduate Certificate - Simulation and Preceptorship Components