June 26, 2023
Wilma Koopman, a nurse practitioner in LHSC’s Clinical Neurosciences (CNS) department, has been awarded the President’s Award for Leadership in Clinical Nursing Practice by the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario for her patient advocacy and work elevating the profession’s profile.
The annual award recognizes a registered nurse (RN) or nurse practitioner (NP) who demonstrates expertise in one or more areas of clinical practice, shows leadership in the workplace and advocates for their patients and their community.
"The Clinical Neurological Sciences team is immensely proud of Wilma for this incredible achievement,” says Patricia Dool, CNS Director. "Wilma exemplifies the characteristics in a nurse practitioner who is a champion and advocate for patient care. I am deeply grateful to have Wilma as part of Team LHSC.”
Koopman started at LHSC more than 40 years ago as staff nurse in CNS and has remained there since. She has built up a successful practice caring for patients with neuromuscular disorders and leading a variety of research and quality improvement projects.
Growing up on a farm, Koopman knew she was destined to work in health care when she realized how much she enjoyed tending to the animals when they got sick. "No one in my family was in the medical field at the time, but I got into nursing school at age 17 and never looked back,” she says.
After graduating with her BScN and starting a family, she went back to school to do her MScN and a two-year post-graduate nurse practitioner program, followed by a PhD in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Her graduate thesis focused on re-envisioning chronic illness care. She proposed a minimally disruptive approach to care, one which works to achieve a patient’s goals while imposing the smallest possible burden on them.
“We know that patients face multiple barriers to accessing and managing their illness,” she says. “For example, patients often choose to care for their family member’s needs – emotional, social or financial – potentially impacting their ability to attend appointments, take medications, or engage in self-care. All of my work has been directed to learning how to achieve this for each patient and family member who crosses my path.”
Nurse practitioners valued team members at LHSC
Nurse practitioners are a valued part of many patients’ care teams at LHSC. They assess and diagnose patients, order and interpret diagnostic tests, and prescribe medications and other treatments. By combining their nursing skills with medical knowledge, they’re able to provide excellent, patient-centred care that’s informed by the unique intersection of the experience they bring.
“As a nurse practitioner, my job is to look at a patient’s life holistically, taking their physical, psychological and social needs, among others, into account," says Koopman. “By looking at medical challenges through a wider lens, we’re able to suggest an individualized treatment plan that accounts for the full picture.”
Nurse practitioners also counsel patients on how to prevent illnesses and conduct practice-based research with the goal of continually improving patient care. "While most of our time is spent seeing patients, nurse practitioners also lead and participate in a variety of quality improvement initiatives,” she says.
A typical work week for her involves three days in the neuropathy, muscle diseases and myasthenia gravis clinics, one day of research and one day catching up on administrative work. In between all that, she returns patient calls, consults for primary care physicians, mentors NP students, teaches in various university nursing programs and volunteers on boards for non-profit organizations like the Canadian Association of Neuroscience Nurses.
“I get to do a lot of exciting work each day, but my favourite part is seeing my patients,” says Koopman. “Knowing we get to work together to help them live the best life possible is such an honour. It really just makes my day.”
LHSC is actively recruiting nurse practitioners for a variety of departments at its Victoria and University hospitals. For more information and to apply, visit lhsc.on.ca/careers.