Nursing's Natalie Seguin receives the 2020-2021 Teaching Excellence Award

Vanier College is pleased to announce that Nursing teacher Natalie Seguin has received the 2020-2021 Vanier College Teaching Excellence Award for her exceptional commitment to student success, the Nursing Program and Vanier College.

In nominating her for the award, Natalie’s colleagues praised her for her heroic efforts during the past year, underlining how she helped assure students attained fundamental nursing clinical course learning objectives at a time when most hospital centers closed their doors to clinical placements for student nurses because of the pandemic.

As a consequence, students were in danger of losing essential clinical learning environments in which they could demonstrate mastery of the program’s clinical competencies. Without the clinical education aspect running as usual, the Nursing teachers were left with dauntingly large gaps in their courses. Faced with serious challenges on how to adapt, Nathalie brainstormed contingency plans using simulation classes and scenarios she wrote to teach clinical skills students needed to master.

In particular, Natalie’s colleagues nominated her for her creative nature, solutions-oriented approach, leadership, and coordination skills; her expert knowledge in the field of Nursing and simulation-based clinical education and her contribution to the Nursing Program. As well they recognized her commitment to improve the learning experience and student success, especially through initiatives such as VPASS (Vanier Performance Assessment Strategies for Success) and her contribution to Vanier College in helping students reach their potential and achieve academic success.

Her students credited her for motivating them to surpass obstacles and helping them gain confidence to overcome weaknesses in their skills. Some of them said, “Not only is Nathalie a comforting and understanding person, but she also knows exactly how to guide someone on the path of success .I would not be here if it weren’t for Nathalie Seguin.”

Her colleagues sum things up by saying, “Nathalie has taken on the lion’s share of ensuring that our program remain viable and that students received the best possible learning experience under less than ideal conditions.”

The Award was presented to her by Academic Dean Annie Claude Banville, at a celebration held on September 10, 2021.

Congratulations to Natalie Seguin recipient of the 2020-2021 Vanier Teaching Excellence Award who inspires her colleagues through her boundless energy, dedication and hard work that goes far beyond the call of duty.