Canadian Nurses Association/Teckles Photography

Alumni Highlights: Braden Davie

For February’s Alumni Highlights feature, as part of the Alumni Association centennial, we caught up with College of Nursing grad Braden Davie (BSN’11). Braden is currently the operations manager of NICU at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax, NS.

By Sean Conroy
Tell us about the campus when you went to the U of S; how is it different today?

When I was a student at the U of S, construction was the norm. At that time, it seemed that the university was growing at the same rate as the province and the necessary infrastructure was being built to accommodate the need. When I return to the campus now, it is exciting to see how projects like the new Health Sciences Building and the Place Riel expansion have turned out. I'm incredibly excited that health sciences students now have the opportunity to learn in a state-of-the-art building that fosters inter-professional learning.

What's one of your favourite memories you had outside of the classroom?

My favourite memory outside of the classroom was being involved in the Saskatoon Nursing Students' Society (now called the Saskatoon Nursing Students' Association). We had so many opportunities to travel across both the province and the country to connect with nursing leaders. My time with the SNSS was certainly the highlight of my undergraduate education.

Overall, how was your U of S experience?

The experience I had at the U of S was wonderful. Faculty at the College of Nursing did an amazing job engaging students and challenged us to find an area of practice in nursing that excited us.

How did going to the U of S shape your career?

In the six years that I have been a registered nurse, I have practiced clinically in acute care and in a community clinic. I have also had the opportunity to practice in formal leadership roles in professional practice and in management. My degree from the U of S provided me with a solid foundation to build my practice and I am fortunate that I have had so many opportunities early in my career.

What did you wish you would have known on your first day at the U of S?

I wish someone would have told me to get involved in student organizations on campus. My involvement in the SNSS had a profound influence on my career and I wish I would have been involved in my first and second years.

Check in for monthly Q&As with alumni from all the U of S colleges, as talk about their life after the U of S and how being on this campus shaped their careers. In case you missed any previous features, you can read them here.