F1: “Why not me?”  The evolution of RPN leadership in a changing landscape

The educational and contextual changes that have been part of innovation in healthcare have also created a constant state of role evolution affecting all healthcare workers. These changes have been especially evident in nursing, where each category continues to experience growth and change.  This presentation will examine innovations and adaptations in models of care delivery, focusing on the RPN role specifically.

Dianne Martin, RPN, RN, MA, FCAN, CEO, WeRPN

Dianne Martin has been a nurse since 1979. She graduated first as an RPN and then in 1998, she graduated as an RN with a diploma in nursing. Dedicated to lifelong learning, she then obtained a BScN from York University in 2007 and subsequently obtained a Masters of Leadership from Royal Roads University in 2011.  She has chosen to remain dually registered as both an RN and RPN and honors each category as equally important within the profession of nursing.

During the 27 years she spent providing direct care to Ontario families, she worked in the birthing unit (where she estimated she has attended more than 3000 births), operating room, and postpartum care advocating for women and their families.

Her leadership roles have included Director of Professional Practice at an Ontario hospital and Senior Policy Analyst with the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.  Currently she holds the role of Chief Executive Officer of the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario. Within that role, she has been recognized for her strong compassionate and ongoing connection to the front line nurses, and her ability to build bridges of collaboration among disparate groups.

In 2016 Dianne received the Premier’s Award which recognizes college graduates whose achievements have made a difference in the province of Ontario and in 2020 she became a Charter Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing.

She is the daughter of a nurse, mother to a nurse, and she holds all those who care for others in the highest regard.