NP Week 2024 Featured NP – Nancy Clark

Years ago, at a time when few understood the potential of nurse practitioners, Nancy Clark didn’t wait—she led. “I took chances when there were few,” she says.

Over the past 20 years, Clark’s career has been marked by her commitment to establishing NP leadership in acute care at Rockyview General Hospital in Calgary. There, she developed and implemented an NP team model that guides healthcare teams and supports patients and their families throughout their acute care journey. For Clark, leadership is all about relationships. She believes that collaborative and trusting connections make safer, more informed patient care possible. These bonds—between team members and patients—are essential for patient-centered care.“Being present, having empathy, knowing that we are often visible to patients and families at one of their most vulnerable times is an incredible responsibility,” she says.

Her leadership philosophy, rooted in human connection, has also guided her mentorship of new NPs. “I want to help each NP navigate the healthcare environment so that they can become leaders,” she says, recalling the challenges of starting out.

In celebration of Nurse Practitioner Week 2024, Clark highlights the bright future ahead for NPs in shaping healthcare. She encourages her peers to join associations and build networks that “celebrate our strengths and diversities as well as provide support and innovative solutions when needed.”