olyaTeaching Professor, School of Nursing
RN, BScN (McMaster University), MScN (University of Toronto)
McMaster University
1280 Main Street West – HSC 2J34J
Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S 4K1
lunyk@mcmaster.ca
905.525.9140 Ext. 28059

Profile

Ola Lunyk Child graduated from the BScN program at McMaster University in 1978. She worked in the area of Maternal-Newborn nursing for 10 years in a variety of acute and community settings. After completing her MScN in 1986, Ola worked as a nurse clinician helping a major hospital improve the quality of nursing care. She was thrilled to return to McMaster University as Assistant Professor in 1988.

Ola has held a variety of roles in the undergraduate nursing program including Level 1 Chair, Coordinator of Studies, and Chair of Admissions. In addition to these administrative roles, Ola teaches across all levels, streams and sites of the program in both theoretical and clinical courses. In particular, she enjoys teaching students in Levels 1 and 4 because each of these years holds unique challenges for the educator. In Level 1 courses, she enthusiastically introduces students to the university and to a new way of learning in the problem-based, self-directed nursing program taught in small groups. In Level 4, she assists students with the transition to professional practice and welcomes them to the profession as colleagues. Her goal is to ensure students learn to deal with change through the acquisition of the skill set necessary to become lifelong learners in an ever changing health care environment. Ola contributes actively to curriculum development, program evaluation and faculty development.

As Chair of Admissions, Ola’s role is to ensure that McMaster University accepts the best applicants to the limited enrolment nursing program. The aim is to attract bright, compassionate, caring individuals who have a passion for nursing and who have the potential to be leaders in the profession. Ola is at the forefront of initiatives exploring new ways to identify the best candidates for the program.

Her research interests include the experience of nursing graduates at time of entry to practice and 18 months post-graduation. She has also been engaged in evaluating the effectiveness of innovative teaching strategies such as the impact of a Capstone project on the integration of learning. As part of her Admissions role, Ola is exploring the effectiveness of CASPer, an on-line tool, to assess applicants to the nursing program by identifying relevant attributes such as caring, compassion, teamwork and moral ethical behaviour.