Celebrating five years with Memorial University, Canada 

What was the motivation to join the JBI Collaboration and establish the Memorial University Faculty of Nursing Collaboration for Evidence-Based Nursing and Primary Health Care?

Dr. Sandra Small was the inaugural convenor of our JBI Affiliated Group and held the position for nearly five years. Currently, Dr. Karen Parsons holds the position. Our faculty at Memorial University were aware of the great work that colleagues at other JBI Collaborating Entities were achieving and we wanted to participate in making evidence more accessible for practice. Our Dean, Dr. Alice Gaudine, initiated efforts to create our Affiliated Group and has been instrumental in supporting its success.  

How did your interest in evidence-based healthcare start? 

Our Faculty of Nursing has always valued and endeavoured to find best evidence for nursing practice and nursing education as it is essential to best quality patient care and teaching and learning.  Furthermore, as an academic unit our researchers are in a position to influence health policy decision making. By pooling our talents and efforts via a JBI Affiliated Group we are able to contribute to achieving evidence-based practice through synthesis of the available literature.  

After five years, what still motivates you? 

We believe that the onus is on us as nursing leaders to advocate for and produce high-quality, relevant, up-to-date systematic reviews to inform health care decision making. Not only does compiling, assessing, synthesizing, and publishing evidence contribute to patient care but synthesizing nursing evidence contributes to the body of nursing knowledge and in that way contributes to nursing as a practice discipline. Synthesizing evidence for practice is professionally rewarding work.  

We are proud to be a part of an international collaborative network contributing to up-to-date and accessible synthesized research evidence.  

What are the stand out lessons you have learnt in your time with JBI? 

Having training in JBI synthesis methods is essential to quality systematic reviews. Review teams work well when team members are fully trained through JBI Comprehensive Systematic Review Training Program (CSRTP) and remain current with ongoing updates and changes to methods. 

When unsure about JBI processes, do not hesitate to ask questions of other JBI Collaborating Entities.   The Queen’s University Centre of Excellence (Collaboration for Health Care Quality) has been incredibly helpful in mentoring us, and JBI staff in Adelaide have also been incredibly supportive.  

The JBI Collaboration is about helping each other and learning together.

What has your Affiliated Group achieved that you are most proud of? 

For a small faculty, we have an impressive number of faculty members trained in JBI methods and engaging in evidence synthesis and dissemination through systematic and scoping reviews and related scholarly work. We have continuing growth in faculty interest in completing JBI’s CSRTP.

What would be the one piece of advice you would give to someone thinking of joining the JBI Collaboration? 

Go for it! Not only is synthesizing evidence for practice professionally valuable and rewarding work, but being a member of the JBI Collaboration affords opportunity to meet and network with a great, international group of like-minded scholars with a passion for evidence-based practice and a wealth of methodology expertise.  

The hard work in producing systematic reviews is well worth it.  

Can you share one of your fondest memories of the JBIC?

We have fond memories of our JBI training at the Queen’s University Centre of Excellence. We worked hard but had a fun time working together.  

We also have fond memories of attending JBI conferences and meetings and learning from experts in the field. In particular, we have very fond memories of the 2019 JBI conference and meetings in Adelaide. It was a great opportunity for professional development and to meet JBI staff who are based in Adelaide, and the international JBI community.  

Can you share something about your Affiliated Group that other entities may not know? 

Our Affiliated Group is located at the Faculty of Nursing, Memorial University. We are a small faculty in a small university (about 19,000 students) in a small city (about 200,000 people) in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador with a small population of just over 500,000 people. We are located at the most easterly point in North America and St. John’s is considered to be the oldest city in North America. Newfoundland and Labrador was a British Dominion until 1949 when we joined Canada.  

We look forward to another five years (at least!) collaborating with the Memorial University Faculty of Nursing Collaboration for Evidence-Based Nursing and Primary Health Care