Note: The Brock Employee Feature is a Q&A-style series that aims to highlight those who contribute to the University’s positive working environment and make a difference in the campus community. The full series is available on The Brock News. Employees interested in being featured are asked to fill out an online form.

In her role as a Nursing Simulation Lab Co-ordinator and Clinical Instructor, Tori McDowall (BScN ’14) starts each day honoured to be a part of each student’s journey as she helps prepare future generations of nurses.

Share your Brock career story

I have been working in the Department of Nursing for three years. I began as a Clinical Instructor in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the summer of 2022, I joined the Nursing Simulation Lab in the role of Nursing Simulation Lab Coordinator.

I really enjoy helping students by bringing their nursing clinical skills textbook to life.

Our students are placed in hospital settings and work with members of the community throughout the entire program, giving them every opportunity to excel after graduation.

What does your role involve?

 I currently work in the roles of Nursing Simulator Lab Co-ordinator and Clinical Instructor.

Our team of knowledgeable faculty and staff work hard to prepare students to meet nursing entry to practice standards through a comprehensive curriculum and by offering diverse education settings such as classrooms, clinicals and the Nursing Simulation Lab.

Having high-fidelity simulation equipment within the nursing lab has been a huge asset to my role. I can lead nursing simulation case scenarios or have students practice new clinical skills, in an environment that mimics a hospital setting. This allows students to feel supported and maintain psychological safety in a small group setting.

In the clinical environment, I have the ability in my role to work alongside my students for a whole 12-hour shift. With clinical groups of 5-8 students, I can individually work with students in a way that is conducive to their own learning style.

Brock Nursing students really thrive in the clinical setting, and it is my role to ensure that students feel safe and supported when providing patient care that demonstrates empathy, compassion, competence and safety.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

As a Brock Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduate and growing up within the Niagara Region working at Brock feels like home to me.

In nursing there are many moments of vulnerability. I have provided therapeutic touch to students who have experienced the death of their first client, done a little happy dance with them after they completed their first wound dressing change without breaking sterility and celebrated with them after learning they passed the NCLEX exam.

There is something truly special about celebrating student successes in the progression of their Nursing journey.

Are you involved with any community organizations?

 I am a contributing member of the Canadian Alliance of Nurse Educators Using Simulation (CAN-Sim) as well as a member of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario research interest group.

I am also employed casually at the Niagara Health System in the role of a critical care registered nurse. I do this because I enjoy maintaining my clinician role, in which I can provide client and family-centered care within the emergency setting.

What is something most people don’t know about you?

I was on the television show The Price is Right. Unfortunately, I did not win the showcase showdown.

What was your first job?

Anyone who grew up in the Niagara region has heard the saying “Good things grow in Ontario.” When I was 14 years old, I worked at a peach farm and greenhouse alongside many of my high-school friends. I spent eight to 10 hours a day packing peaches into baskets.

This experience taught me that hard work earns money and how the wonderful people you work with can positively impact your work culture. I was thankful for this job, as the money I saved over two summers paid for a portion of my Brock tuition.

Where is your favourite place to visit or spend time in Niagara?

I really enjoy wine tasting at multiple wineries within the Niagara region as well as dining and visiting the spas within the Niagara Vintage Hotels.

The Watering Can in Vineland is a great place to dine or pick out some lovely flowers and I often visit Port Dalhousie with my children, as they love to ride the Lakeside Park Carousel, which provides me with great nostalgia. 

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

My mom always told me “You’ll never know unless you ask.” As simple as it is, I remind myself of it often, and it has guided me to multiple opportunities in life.