Introducing SRA representative Sharon Nwamadi
Sharon Nwamadi is the School of Nursing representative for McMaster’s Student Representative Assembly. She also runs the SRA Nursing Facebook page, where you may have seen recent spotlights of nursing students and professors. Today we reverse roles and shine the spotlight on her!
Q: Tell me about the Student Representative Assembly (SRA) at McMaster
The SRA is made up of 35 undergraduate students from varying faculties. Together with the Board of Directors of the McMaster Students Union (President, VP Adminstration, VP Education & VP Finance), we make decisions impacting McMaster students, and lobby to the University to improve McMaster’s academic quality. We basically relay the students’ opinions to the school. We also manage MSU clubs and services to a small extent.
Q: What does your role as the representative involve?
SRA members have to attend biweekly meetings where we discuss concerns within the McMaster community, and approve documents. Each member has office hours in which they are available to discuss concerns. My office hours were weekly in HSC 2J38 (Hole in the Wall) on Tuesdays from 12:00-1:00 pm this semester but will change in the winter, and will be updated on the SRA Nursing Facebook page. Each caucus also has a year plan that outlines the individual initiatives and events they will be undertaking for year. You can find these on the MSU website under documents (https://www.msumcmaster.ca/governance/sra/sra-documents). Next semester, some of the highlights of my year plan include running a career panel event which will showcase approximately 20 different specialties in nursing such as: cardiac ICU, ER, NICU, and many more. There are about 350 spots for students to attend, and more information about this event will be coming to you in the winter semester. This will be a joint effort between SRA Nursing and the McMaster University Nursing Students’ Society (MUNSS). In addition, there will be some programming around MSU elections, and mental health.
Q: Tell us a little about yourself and where you see yourself going after graduation
I’m in level 3 of the BScN program. I’ve always been interested in neurosurgery due to my family history, but I’m not sure if I’ll stay in that role forever. That’s why I think this career panel is going to be extremely beneficial in helping me map my future.
Q: Why did you choose to go into nursing?
In grade 12, I made a pros and cons list of all of the possible career paths that interested me, and then I picked the program that best aligned with what I wanted to do in the future. Some of the elements on this list were: job security, level of enjoyment, flexibility and opportunity… how easy it would be to switch specialties and do other things still within my career path. My mom and my aunt were also nurses, so I had some encouragement from that front.
Q: Is the SRA facebook page new?
It’s not new but it wasn’t that active before. Last year, the “Nurses of McMaster initiative” based on “Humans of New York” was started, and this year, in addition to featuring students, I extended it to faculty so students could see who they’re going to have teaching them throughout the years. This page also provides updates on events, meetings, and office hours, so I would like it to stay updated throughout the year!
You can visit the SRA page at: SRA Nursing Facebook page
Students, Undergraduate Program