“Change Starts Here: The Power of Partnerships” conference draws robust participation from Manitoba’s nursing community
On October 20, 2025, the Association of Regulated Nurses of Manitoba (ARNM) convened its annual conference, held at the Canad Inns Destination Centre Polo Park in Winnipeg, under the theme Change Starts Here: The Power of Partnerships. The event brought together nurses, nursing students, and internationally‐educated colleagues to celebrate collaboration, spark innovative ideas, and explore how strong partnerships can accelerate change in nursing practice, education, research and leadership.
Strengthening links across practice, education and leadership
The full-day program began with registration, coffee and networking. Opening remarks paved the way for a keynote address titled Partnerships Between Nurses & Government, which underscored the growing importance of aligned efforts between nursing leadership and public-sector policy.
Throughout the morning and early afternoon, attendees selected from focused concurrent sessions on key topics:
- In clinical care, presenters Cindy Sanchez and Valerie Krysanski discussed an integrated bariatric surgery, medication and mental-health model; Sarah Brown shared insights from an early-recognition program for resident decline in long-term care.
- In education, Laura Van Mulligen, Michelle Lowe-Puhach and Catherine Baxter reflected on interprofessional education barriers and successes across urban and rural nursing programs.
- Research streams included Jennifer Morin’s pilot evaluation of performance in long-term care homes and Sonia Udod’s study on nurses’ work-life, mental-health and wellbeing; in parallel, Candice Waddell-Henowitch and Laura Van Mulligen, as well as Megan Van De Spiegle, Krista Murray and Andrea Thomson, explored lived experiences of sexual violence and implications for nursing education.
- In the mid-afternoon, a dedicated stream on supporting nurses brought forward perspectives from Andrea Thomson, Joanne Winsor Murray and Laura Van Mulligen on accommodations in practice, collaboration strategies from Kelly Hallock, and the role of supportive management in mental-health nursing with disabilities.
A critical conversation: End-Racism in Nursing
The session “Partnering to End Racism” was moderated by Pam Scheveck and featured panelists Dr. A. Pereira, M. Monkman and S. Jones-Hall. The discussion invited participants to reflect on structural barriers, lived experience and the role of nursing leadership and systems in advancing equity and anti-racism. Feedback from delegates was overwhelmingly that this was one of the most compelling sessions of the day.
Engaging government-nursing partnerships
The day’s keynote and a dedicated Q&A with Minister Uzoma Asagwara offered delegates a direct line to leadership in the provincial health system. Nurses asked questions about recruitment and retention, inter-sector collaboration, Indigenous and newcomer-nurse integration, and policy levers for partnership across practice settings. Minister Asagwara’s comments reinforced government’s recognition of nursing as a vital partner and signalled openness to new models of practice aligned with system-transformation goals.
Looking ahead
ARNM extends its heartfelt thanks to all attendees, presenters and partners. As we turn our attention toward next year, we invite members to begin considering abstract submissions and to engage with our upcoming initiatives under the Emerging Leaders Network, board-nomination campaign, and professional-development webinars. The power of partnerships remains central to advancing nursing in Manitoba - and with your collaboration, change truly starts here.