Marie-Josée Bourassa awarded prestigious Prix Jeanne-Mance
Marie-Josée Bourassa, the Clinical Administrative Coordinator of the Women’s Health Mission at the MUHC, is the type of leader everyone needs. She was recently awarded the prestigious Prix Jeanne-Mance 2021, on behalf of the Ordre régional des infirmières et infirmiers de Montréal/Laval (ORIIM/L), for her contribution to the development of nursing care, as well as improving overall health care for the population.
Marie-Josée’s journey to becoming a nurse began at the age of 17 in the halls of Dawson College, where she studied nursing. She went on to complete her Bachelor’s degree at the University de Montréal and is currently completing the International Masters for Health Leadership degree at McGill University. “The moment I stepped foot in my first nursing class, I knew I was doing this for the right purpose,” she said. “I never had any doubts about nursing being the wrong choice for me. It was, and always will be, my passion and purpose.”
While this award was given to Marie-Josée, ever the team player, she humbly wishes to share the honour. “Having my name associated with this prize is very empowering, however, I instantly considered it as a reward for my team,” she said.
“Leadership is not just one person. I consider this moment to be a testament to the entire team I help support, one that offers great visibility into what we do here at the MUHC.”
There will most definitely be a time and place for Marie-Josée to properly celebrate this with her family and colleagues, but she understands that her work does not stop here. In fact, upon receiving this award, she now feels the need to work even harder, to set an example for future generations. “Receiving this reward has propelled me to continue moving forward, as there are many more years ahead of me in nursing leadership,” she said. “A huge part of my job is identifying, recruiting, and developing the future generation of nursing leaders.”
While this should go without mention, Marie-Josée Bourassa is an ambassador for the entire nursing profession, and we are extremely lucky to call her one of our own, here at the MUHC!
“I get to work with some of the most resilient people in the world and I of course will be celebrating this with my staff and leadership team,” she said. “This award should be celebrated, and we deserve to have a moment to enjoy this.”
