Dr. Linda Patrick, Professor Emerita and former dean of the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Nursing, has received the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario’s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her decades of leadership and contributions to nursing practice, education, and research. (FILES/University of Windsor)
By Sara Meikle
For more than five decades, Dr. Linda Patrick has helped shape nursing in Ontario as a clinician, educator, administrator, researcher, mentor and advocate.
This year, the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) recognized that impact with one of its highest honours, the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award is presented to long-standing RNAO members who demonstrate outstanding contributions to nursing practice, education, administration, or research at the provincial, national, or international level, while advancing the profession through leadership and collaboration across the health care system.
For Patrick, professor emerita in the University of Windsor’s Faculty of Nursing and dean from 2010 to 2020, the recognition reflects a career dedicated to advancing nursing education, patient care and professional leadership.
“I am deeply and sincerely honoured to be recognized for the Lifetime Achievement Award,” she said. “I have been a registered nurse in Ontario since 1974 and experienced many changes to both professional practice and the health-care system. Membership in the RNAO has been the one constant professional organization for registered nurses in Ontario that has supported me over the entire course of my career.”
Among the accomplishments Patrick is most proud of are the many ways she was able to influence nursing practice, education, and leadership throughout her career.
In clinical practice, she was one of the founding registered nurses involved in developing the Diabetes Wellness Program at Windsor Essex Community Health Centre, helping expand community-based care and support for people living with diabetes in the region.
Her influence also extended nationally through nursing education leadership. Patrick served for more than a decade on the board of the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing, including a term as president, and was an editor and contributing author for a Canadian Fundamentals in Nursing textbook developed specifically for Canadian nursing education.
During her decade as dean at the University of Windsor, the Faculty of Nursing expanded its simulation program, introduced a PhD in Nursing program and strengthened student wellness supports through the addition of an onsite therapist dedicated to nursing students.
“I had the pleasure of working with a tremendous nursing faculty and support staff on many exciting initiatives,” she said.
One of the defining initiatives of Patrick’s career emerged from conversations with internationally educated nurses (IENs) seeking help navigating Ontario’s licensing system.
Determined to create new pathways into practice, Patrick partnered in 2014 with colleagues from Trent University, Toronto Metropolitan University and York University to secure provincial funding for an online program supporting IENs entering the profession in Ontario. More than a decade later, the program continues to receive provincial support.
Even in retirement, Patrick continues to shape the future of nursing through mentorship and philanthropy.
In 2023, she established the Larry and Linda Patrick Graduate Scholarship in Nursing in memory of her late husband, Larry Patrick, to support graduate students pursuing research or practice focused on improving care for people living with life-altering or life-limiting conditions and the families navigating complex care journeys alongside them.
“The cancer journey is complicated, stressful, emotionally and physically exhausting for the person who is ill, their significant others and their children,” Patrick said. “Registered Nurses and Nurse Practitioners who are highly specialized in practice as navigators become an invaluable resource for individuals and families.”
The RNAO Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes not only the breadth of Patrick’s contributions to nursing, but the lasting impact of her leadership, mentorship and advancement across the profession.
UWindsor congratulates Dr. Linda Patrick on this well-deserved recognition and celebrates a career dedicated to strengthening the nursing profession and improving the lives of others.
A virtual recognition ceremony will take place on May 14 at 7 p.m.