Dr. Don Versluis
Assistant Teaching Professor
School of Nursing
- Contact:
- Office: HSD A416 dversluis@uvic.ca 250-721-6552
- Credentials:
- BScN, MSc, DNP, NP (F)
- Area(s) of expertise:
- Medical Assistance in Dying, Palliative Care, General Internal Medicine, Quality Improvement
Biography
Dr. Don Versluis is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Nurse Practitioner program. He joined the 樱花影视 (UVic) School of Nursing in 2020, bringing an extensive background in teaching and clinical practice. He transitioned to a full-time faculty role in 2021. He brings a passion for encouraging students to gain the skills in leading and managing people and projects to facilitate effective change, promotes innovation, and has a drive to improve the quality of nursing and health services, including the integration of digital health and other technology.
Don began his career as a registered nurse in the emergency department of the regional trauma center in Hamilton, Ontario, after receiving his BScN from McMaster University. He later returned to McMaster to earn his MSc and Primary Healthcare Nurse Practitioner certificate, during which he became faculty for the BScN program from 2013 to 2014 and then completed his DNP (Chatham, PA). He joined Niagara Health as an internal medicine nurse practitioner and returned to McMaster as an instructor in the nurse practitioner program from 2017 to 2020.
His teaching philosophy is one of Narrative Pedagogy, teaching through storytelling and experiences. His professional areas of interest are inter-professional care teams, quality improvement, education, and leadership. In support of these interests, he remains an active member of the Quality Council and Nurse Practitioner Community of Practice committees within Vancouver Island Health Authority.
He was one of Canada’s first Nurse Practitioners to provide Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). He was recognized for his work with MAiD, with several awards, including Niagara Health’s President’s Award of Excellence and the Advanced Practice Nursing Award of Excellence. He also received the “Hidden Hero” Award from the Trillium Gift of Life Network.
2025: NUNP 547, NUNP 537, NUNP 531
2024: NUNP 547, NUNP 537
2023: NUNP 547, NUNP 537, NUNP 531
2022: NUNP 547, NUNP 537, NUNP 531
2021: NUNP 543, NUNP 531
Content Creator: CAMAP’s
Articles Published in Refereed Journals
- Oczkowski, S., Crawshaw, D., Austin, P., Versluis, D., Kalles-Chan, G., Kekewich, M., Curran, D., Miller, P., Kelly, M., Wiebe, E., Dees, M., & Frolic, A. (2021). How can we improve the experiences of patients and families who request medical assistance in dying: A multi-centre qualitative study. BMC Palliative Care 20(1).
- Oczkowski, S., Crawshaw, D., Austin, P., Versluis, D., Kalles-Chan, G., Kekewich, M., Curran, D., Miller, P., Kelly, M., Wiebe, E., Dees, M., & Frolic, A. (2020). How we can improve the quality-of-care of patients requesting medical assistance in dying: a qualitative study of health care providers. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 0(0).
Books, Chapters
- D. Versluis, Spotlight on Unique Advanced Practice Nursing Roles: MAiD in Staples, E., Pilon, R., & Hannon, R. (2021) Canadian Perspectives on Advanced Practice Nursing, (2nd ed.). Canadian Scholars, Toronto, ON. Pp. 538-539.
Other Publications
- Versluis, D. (2018). Evidence-based practice change: Improving Delirium Identification. Chatham University Capstone for the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program. Palliat Care20, 185 (2021).