Patricia Foster is a nurse with 45 years of experience in a variety of roles and settings:
- northern nurse in First Nations communities (Moose Factory and Big Trout Lake, Ontario; Fort Chipewyan. Alberta; New Aiyansh, Greenville and Iskut; BC);
- Continuing Care case manager (Campbell River and Mount Waddington);
- Clinical Nurse Specialist in geriatric rehab (continence specialty at Parkwood Hospital, London, Ontario and Cumberland Health Centre);
- educator at NIC (clinical ethics focus);
- staff nurse/manager at the Comox Valley Nursing Centre including extensive involvement in Island wide and provincial ethics committees.
Receiving her BScN at the University of Windsor in 1974, Patricia then completed a northern nurse practitioner programme at the University of Western Ontario in 1977. She attended UBC in 1984 to complete her Master's degree in Nursing, with a clinical specialty in geriatrics.
Historically, Patricia was a Regional Director for the Registered Nurses Association of BC and currently, is a member of the Board of Directors for the McLoughlin Gardens Society. For the past 5 years, Patricia has volunteered at a community clinic in northern Guatemala (Projecto Ix-Canaan, Peten) and has been a volunteer on The Care-A-Van since 2010. Since retiring from Island Health, Patricia has been a marriage commissioner in the Valley (2014 to the present). That role puts a new perspective on the broader definition of health and how healthy relationships impact our well-being.
Patricia is an avid wilderness adventurer, a keen traveller and community advocate. She is the mother of 2 delightful adult children who have inherited her love of travel, gardening and healthy nutrition.
"I feel privileged to join the Board of the Division of Family Practice. It is an exciting time to be listening to what patients need and seeing innovations in the delivery of health care" Patricia Foster