Leslee Bossert, nurse educator

Uplifting those around her, Leslee Bossert is quick to recognize colleagues’ growth, new skills or how they made meaningful contributions to positive changes. She intentionally highlights the progress people have made to both the team member and leadership to celebrate champions. This behaviour reinforces a workplace that notices, appreciates and encourages growth.

This year staff expressed a need for tools and advice about how to support a patient whose designated support person was not respecting their chosen pronouns. This misalignment was causing the patient psychological harm. The team wanted tools and knowledge about how to approach these situations in a way that avoided conflict and advocated for patients appropriately. After taking the time to understand the situation, Leslee tailored her education days to include learning that would empower staff to care for diversity in the patient population ensuring patients feel seen, respected and safe.

When a pediatric patient returning to the Bow Valley from Alberta Children’s Hospital required ongoing medication administration via a PICC line, Leslee thought about the family’s situation. Rather than stick to standard practice and send them to Calgary for treatment, Leslee worked with the nursing team to get them comfortable providing this care. She engaged in-house nursing experts with specialized knowledge to facilitate just-in-time training to refresh nurses’ skills and confidence. Leslee communicated with Alberta’s Children’s Hospital to make sure Banff Mineral Springs could provide high-quality care in Banff that met the patient’s needs.