USask College of Nursing student honoured as Most Distinguished Graduate

2020, designated the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, will definitely be a time to remember for University of Saskatchewan (USask) Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduate Ms. Katherine Moser.

Katherine finished at the top of her class and has been named the College of Nursing’s Most Distinguished Graduate and winner of the University Prize in Nursing for Spring 2020 Convocation.

She has also been recognized with the W.S. Lindsay Gold Medal in Nursing—an award named in honour of former USask dean and Royal University Hospital assistant medical director Walker Stewart Lindsay.

Katherine was born and raised in Saskatoon. After graduating from high school, she immediately began her studies at the University of Saskatchewan and was admitted to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program following a pre-nursing year in the College of Arts and Sciences.

“Since before even entering the nursing program, I always wanted to be a NICU [Neonatal Intensive Care Unit] nurse,” she said.

Katherine says her passion for nursing and desire to support the NICU grew even stronger during her third-year postpartum rotation working with new mothers, families, and their babies.

“I did my NURS 450 preceptorship on the NICU,” Katherine said. “All it took was one shift for me to know that [the NICU] was where I wanted to be.”

Katherine's instructors describe her as compassionate, humble, and positive in her work with patients and their families. In addition to excelling in her theory and clinical courses, Katherine consistently engaged in self-reflection and had a strong work ethic throughout her nursing program.

Katherine successfully challenged the National Council Licensure Examination following the completion of her fourth-year courses in April and is now working as a registered nurse (RN) on the NICU at the James Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon.

Although her journey is truly just beginning—and, in the future, may include graduate studies—for now, Katherine is embracing her ability to put her outstanding academic achievement into practice on the NICU.

“It’s an area of nursing that I love and where I know I will continue to learn and be challenged every single day.”

Interim Dean Cindy Peternelj-Taylor stated, “Katherine is a most worthy recipient of the awards for Most Distinguished Graduate in Nursing and we at the College are proud to have her as a part of the profession of nursing. We wish her all the very best in her nursing practice.”