It’s National Nursing Week and Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) is highlighting a few of our nurses and their achievements. Meet Amy Binch, a Clinical Nurse Specialist at our Hospital.

Amy always knew she wanted to be a nurse, but her career has evolved in ways she never could have anticipated. She knew from early into her university degree that she had a passion for acute care nursing. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Lakehead University in 2012, Amy embarked on her career at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.

Amy started as a staff nurse on our 1A medical oncology unit, where she then joined the Nursing Resource Team and was able to diversify her nursing skills by working in numerous areas across the Hospital. After a few years of floating between units, Amy accepted a position on 2A medical inpatient unit. Here, Amy not only continued to grow as a nurse, but also discovered a love for teaching, leading, and mentorship. Additionally, Amy is committed to creating exceptional learning experiences for nursing students and have been involved in instructing clinical groups in a variety of settings over the years, as well as collaborating with Lakehead University for teaching content and instructing in the Nursing Skills Labs. This passion for teaching and learning fueled her pursuit of a Master of Nursing degree with a focus in Leadership from Athabasca University.

Currently, Amy is the Clinical Nurse Specialist for the Medicine program, where she supports units 2A and 2B. In this role as an Advanced Practice Nurse, all of her work aims to improve the care provided at the hospital. Amy’s multifaceted role encompasses six practice competencies including research, education, direct comprehensive care, consultation and collaboration, optimizing health systems, and leadership. Amy is very involved in the training of new nursing staff, analyzing health research to determine nursing best practices, writing and implementing policies and procedures, quality improvement initiatives, teaching nurses, and supporting nurses in the care they provide to patients at the bedside. This impactful role allows her to combine the knowledge and experience to directly improve patient outcomes while contributing to the advancement of the nursing profession.

“I do not do this work alone, I’m fortunate to work alongside a remarkable team of Clinical Nurse Specialists, Interprofessional Educators and Professional Practice Leads,” says Amy. “I am incredibly proud of my team and exceptional work we accomplish together.”