How a provincial program is empowering new and experienced nurses at Unity Health

Rosaline Lai (L) is the Clinical Scholar for the Interprofessional Resource Team at St. Joseph’s Health Centre, working with novice nurses like Jenna De Leon (R) as they start their careers. Photo by Eduardo Lima.
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When Jenna De Leon, a newly graduated Registered Practical Nurse (RPN), does a clinical task for the first time, she doesn’t have to face it alone. She has built-in support thanks to a new provincial program.
Launched in 2023 by the Government of Ontario, the Clinical Scholar Program enables novice nurses to learn from experienced nurses – or Clinical Scholars – right at the bedside, in real-time. Clinical Scholars are dedicated to mentoring newly graduated nurses, internationally educated nurses (IENs) and nurses wanting to upskill. They also benefit from the program by honing their mentorship and leadership skills.
So far, Unity Health Toronto has provided Clinical Scholar support to more than 145 novice nurses, IENs, and those upskilling in the Interprofessional Resource Team (IRT), the Medicine Program, the Emergency Department and the Women’s and Children’s Program.
The first year or two of nursing is notoriously stressful, says Julie McShane, Manager of Nursing Innovation and Development at Unity Health. Having someone who can work through new and complex scenarios with a nurse new in their role at the bedside, without judgment, is crucial.
“We are at risk of losing nurses if we don’t support them in their transition to the practice environment,” McShane says. “This program is a win-win. New nurses benefit from mentorship and coaching, and experienced nurses are given the time to provide that coaching. Our hope is that it keeps nurses at all career levels in the system for longer.”

De Leon has been an RPN on the St. Joseph’s Health Centre IRT for less than a year. She recently completed the Nursing Graduate Guarantee program, which supports Registered Nurses (RNs) and RPNs who are within one year of registering with the College of Nurses of Ontario, and is now a full-time RPN. Because most of her school training happened during the pandemic and online, the Clinical Scholar Program has been an important support to her transition to working as a nurse in a busy hospital.
“There’s a lot of new things that I’ve never encountered or I don’t know how to find,” she says. “I don’t want to interrupt someone’s shift so I call the Clinical Scholar.”
Rosaline Lai answers De Leon’s calls and those of other novice nurses in IRT – she’s the Clinical Scholar for the IRT team at St. Joseph’s. She has worked as an RN for 10 years, and at St. Joseph’s for three. In this role, she says she’s able to try something new while still keeping up her clinical skills.
“Being a Clinical Scholar enabled me to grow professionally as a nurse to be a mentor and a teacher,” Lai says. “I’m taking what I’ve learned through the course of working as a nurse and empowering others in their practice.”
So far, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from the Clinical Scholars and the novice nurses who have benefited from the program. The team is looking at how to enhance the program to support as many nurses as possible, and formally evaluate its impact on retention.

For De Leon, it has helped her navigate clinical skills, like building her expertise in administering medications via drips, and understand how to contact and involve different health professionals, like dietitians, in a patient’s care.
“As new grads, we’re anxious – we don’t talk about it, but we are. It’s very nice to have the Clinical Scholar be there whenever I need them.”
By Ana Gajic