Judy Bornais - 3M Teaching Fellow

“It is such an honour,” said Professor Judy Bornais reflecting on receiving news that she had been named a 2018 3M Teaching Fellow. Bornais is an adjunct professor with the Schulich Medicine & Dentistry – Windsor Campus and full-time professor with the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Windsor.

Bornais has been teaching since 2001, starting as a contract and sessional employee and quickly moving to a full-time role as an experiential learning specialist focused on developing the standardized patient and simulation programs at the University of Windsor.  

When the Schulich Medicine – Windsor Campus was established in 2008, Bornais joined the team and brought new experiences in simulation to the medical students. During the past 10 years, Bornais has grown the simulation program, and expanded her engagement with medical students. She also teaches the patient care clinical methods program, breast assessment and the birthing lab.

Passionate about simulation, Bornais is excited about the future opportunities it presents, because it is a teaching method that is constantly evolving.

“Simulation has really evolved in patient safety training, recertifying and with interprofessional education,” said Bornais. “I see it developing further, and believe we will see less practice on patients and more practice using simulation for high-risk scenarios and obtaining certain competencies,” she added.

Bornais also believes that simulation will become more important in training teams on how to work together and communicate effectively.

While Bornais continues to plan and research the newest approaches to simulation training, she admits that, often times, she forgets about the impact she is having on the students. She was reminded of that impact recently upon learning that she was a 3M Fellow.

“The nomination package includes feedback from students, colleagues and alumni, and I had a chance to read the submissions,” she said. “It was so humbling and touching to read about the impact I have had.”

Like all great teachers, Bornais feels she gains as much, if not more, from her students than they do from her.  

“I see the students who work with me, as they develop and grow. Witnessing this process and having the opportunity to watch them present their work, I feel like a proud mom,” she said. “It’s amazing to see how far they have come, and to hear the stories from those students who have graduated about the great things they are doing and know that in the end they are making a difference in the lives of patients. It feels good to know they don’t forget what I teach them.”

Amidst all the didactic lessons and technical skills Bornais shares with her students, she puts priority on one important lesson: Treat everyone as though you are caring for the person you love most in the world. It’s a lesson that transcends the classroom, clinic and hospital ward, and provides another glimpse into why Bornais has been recognized with one of the country’s most distinguished teaching recognitions.