Nursing With Purpose Speaker Lineup
Kent Soltys
RN, BSN, Healthcare Leader, Clinical Educator, Nursing Thought Leader
Samantha Miller
RPN, Clinical Supervisor with Recovery Alberta
Peter Vermeulen
RPN, Professional Practice Lead for Addiction and Mental Health in the Edmonton Zone
Presentation: The Human Behind the Role: A Journey of Purpose, Resilience, and Rediscovery in Nursing
Nurses are often celebrated as heroes—resilient, tireless, and selfless. But behind the badge and the scrubs is a human being: someone who carries the emotional and physical weight of the work, often without being seen. In this personal and heartfelt presentation, Kent Soltys shares his own story of navigating the realities of burnout, compassion fatigue, and the moment that changed everything. Through reflection and lived experience, he offers an honest look at what it means to lose—and then rediscover—your purpose in the midst of a healthcare system that doesn’t always make space for the human behind the role. This is a story of resilience, of showing up even when it’s hard, and of remembering why we became nurses in the first place.
Presentation: Not Just for Psychiatry: Why Every Team Needs an RPN
Registered Psychiatric Nurses in Alberta hold a specialized scope of practice that integrates nursing knowledge, psychological theory, neuroscience, pharmacology and therapeutic communication. Despite this broad skill set, RPNs remain underrepresented in many parts of the healthcare system. Their work is often limited to traditional mental health settings rather than embedded across acute care, primary care, community programs, emergency departments and leadership roles.
This presentation, led by Peter Vermeulen RPN and Samantha Miller RPN, will explore the depth of RPN competencies and highlight opportunities for wider integration throughout the provincial health system. Healthcare needs are evolving. Rates of psychological distress, substance use, trauma, dementia and complex mental health presentations continue to grow. Every area of healthcare now intersects with mental health care, whether directly or indirectly. Feedback RPNs bring a biopsychosocial lens, strong assessment and diagnostic ability and advanced therapeutic engagement skills. This combination supports timely decision making, reduces escalation, strengthens interdisciplinary confidence and enhances quality of care across all environments. By placing RPNs in more varied practice areas, the system benefits from increased mental health capacity where people seek help first.
This session invites nurses, leaders and system partners to consider how RPNs can be more fully recognized and included within the broader healthcare landscape. Through examples, clinical context and facilitated discussion, Peter and Samantha will demonstrate that expanding RPN presence across both traditional and non-traditional settings is not only possible but necessary for a modern, recovery-oriented Alberta health system.
Destiny Johnson
LPN, BSN Student
Presentation: Beyond Resilience: Reclaiming Our Purpose and Power in the Frontline Mental Health Crisis
In the current day and age of 2026, the nursing profession stands at a critical crossroads. While the term “resilience” has become commonplace in healthcare vocabulary, frontline nurses continually face a mental health crisis characterized less by exhaustion and more by moral injury from the distress of knowing the gap that exists between the care we want to provide and the realities of the current system. To honor the theme of “Nursing with a Purpose: Turning Insight into Impact”, this session moves beyond the surface-level rhetoric of self-care to address the systemic roots of provider well-being. The session will focus on helping nurses to transform their clinical insight into tangible impact. It will explore how to reclaim agency by shifting the narrative from passive acceptance to active advocacy. Participants will learn to identify the signs of moral injury, establish peer-support frameworks, and implement micro-restorative practices that will help to protect the nurse’s mental health without adding to their administrative burden.
Aninder Grewal
MN, RN, PhD Student
Presentation: Reducing Caregiver Distress by Enhancing Nursing Practice Through PICS-F Awareness
Family caregivers play a critical role in the intensive care unit (ICU); however, their distress is often unrecognized within nursing workflows, creating avoidable challenges for both families and clinicians. Post-Intensive Care Syndrome–Family (PICS-F) describes the psychological, cognitive, social, and financial impacts experienced by families during and after critical illness. Unaddressed caregiver distress is associated with communication breakdowns and increased conflict between families and health care staff in the ICU, yet caregiver assessment remains a major gap in adult ICU nursing practice.
This presentation reframes PICS-F as a nursing practice and workforce issue, rather than solely a family concern. Informed by ICU survivorship research, a scoping review of caregiver assessment tools, and clinical experience, the session explores how nursing practices shape caregiver experiences and influence communication, collaboration, and nurse workload. Participants will gain practical insights to strengthen family engagement, reduce conflict, and improve caregiver support in ways that are feasible within everyday ICU practice.
Sam Olmstead
Presentation: Reigniting Purpose: Joy-Centred Wellbeing for Sustainable Nursing
In this dynamic and heart-centered presentation, Sam draws from her own lived experience of burnout and recovery to guide nurses back to balance, purpose, and joy in their professional lives. Through practical, evidence-informed nervous system regulation tools, participants learn simple strategies to cultivate emotional resilience, reduce stress, and enhance overall well-being. This interactive session weaves together education, embodiment, and meaningful reflection, offering techniques that can be seamlessly integrated into even the busiest nursing routines. Sam’s signature blend of humor and relatable storytelling creates an engaging atmosphere where learning feels natural and empowering.
Participants will leave feeling calmer, clearer, and more connected — equipped with actionable tools to help prevent compassion fatigue and support sustainable practice. The session aligns beautifully with organizational goals focused on nurse wellness, retention, and long-term professional thriving, supporting nurse wellness and professional sustainability.
Dawn Vallet-MacDonald
LPN, BSN StudentRN, BScN,MSc
Lucy Thomas
RN
Presentation: Nursing Mentorship Network Pilot Formal Program: Cultivating Collaboration, Innovation, and Growth through Formal Mentorship
The Nursing Mentorship Network Pilot Formal Program was launched to foster collaboration, leadership, and growth across Alberta’s diverse nursing workforce, including Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, Registered Psychiatric Nurses, and Nurse Practitioners. This provincial initiative connected 129 nurses through a structured, nine-month process with regular check-ins, interactive learning sessions, and continuous evaluation. The program promoted knowledge sharing, career development, and leadership across all nursing roles and career stages. Evaluation showed an 85% retention rate (110 participants), with 91% of respondents reporting a positive and satisfying experience, and 88% noting professional or personal growth. Participants valued strengthened mentor-mentee relationships, increased confidence, and accessible learning opportunities. The inclusive Pilot supported nurses from varied backgrounds and locations, reinforcing equity and accessibility. Key learnings included the need for improved matching, flexible scheduling, and tiered education resources. Streamlined administration, protected time for mentorship, and regular check-ins were identified as essential for sustaining engagement. Insights from the pilot directly inform the upcoming Tiered Mentorship Model, which will feature tiered mentor education, enhanced support, and improved accessibility for nurses at all career stages. By cultivating purposeful relationships and continuous feedback, the model aims to advance nurse well-being, retention, and leadership development. This presentation will share practical strategies, participant experiences, and key lessons to inspire scalable mentorship innovation across nursing practice.
