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Name

Andrea Waters

Current Position

Professional Practice Leader, IWK Health Centre

Recreation Therapist, Kids’ Rehabilitation, IWK

Years of Professional Experience

24 years

Education  

Bachelor of Recreation, ¹û½´ÊÓƵ University, 1995

Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, NCTRC, Since 1995

Practice Developer Certificate, Practice Development School (2016)

Educating Health Professionals in Interprofessional Care Certificate, 2017

Who has influenced you the most

This changes every day as I have had the privilege to work with many influential mentors. Early in life I was coached by a few individuals who helped me gain a life-long appreciation for the importance of goal-setting, internal motivation and drive. They also reinforced a value for living a healthy leisure lifestyle.  I was also lucky enough to have a key mentor at ¹û½´ÊÓƵ University, Dr. Colleen Hood, who supported me on the path to certification which was integral to my professional path. She also gave me the confidence to go out of country to complete my internship. My parents have both played an important role in influencing who I am today. They were both teachers and actively involved in sport and recreation. They continue to volunteer internationally today. Mentors continue to be a valuable part of my ongoing development.

What values are you committed to

Some of my core values include being person-centred, authentic, dependable, committed to personal and professional growth, innovative, compassionate, kind, and optimistic.

Why have you volunteered your time to be a mentor

Since the start of my career I have invested in learners. I also work in a teaching hospital. I feel that we have a lot to gain and learn from mentoring the next generation. I have also invested in upholding interprofessional competencies which need to be reinforced from the start of a person’s career.

Current Position

Recreation Therapist/Recreation Therapy Practice Leader for Mental Health & Addiction Program

Years of Professional Experience

21 years

Past positions:
Medical University of South Carolina – Charleston, SC
Shepherd Center – Atlanta, Georgia

Affiliations

¹û½´ÊÓƵ University, NSTRA

Education  

Who has influenced you the most

How and where do you find inspiration

I have worked with some incredible patients over the past 21 years.  Every person comes with a different story and different struggles they have encountered.  I am inspired by the resilience of people.  The toughness people show when working through adversity in their lives helps me stay focused on my role in their treatment.

Why have you volunteered your time to be a mentor

I have received so much from so many people…I feel it is my professional responsibility to give back to the new learners and help advance the Recreation Therapy profession.

Current Position

Wellness Coordinator with Association of Municipal Administrators, Nova Scotia

Years of Professional Experience

27

Affiliations

Certified Coach Practitioner

Education  

Who has influenced you the most

My former director Annette Huyter who is a former Masters in Health Education graduate. She was an impeccable professional. She conducted herself with such respect and integrity.  I think about her influence daily. I learned so much professionally and personally from her guidance. Catherine Anderson, my practicum supervisor at Metro Area Family Planning Association was a wonderful mentor and coach during my 16-week placement.

Ed Belzer and Leslie Barnes, former professors, were also important influences during my undergraduate studies.  Ed helped me gain the confidence required to succeed in this field and Leslie was a tough marker and huge proponent of APA which gave me a great advantage with verbal and written communication. 

How and where do you find inspiration

I find inspiration from people who have made significant health behavior changes in their lives and who have overcome many barriers related to living a healthy lifestyle.

I also follow a few inspirational leaders in the health field who are making a difference with their evidence based research.

Why have you volunteered your time to be a mentor

I had an incredibly positive professional and personal intern experience in 1992 and recall thinking that if I was successful in the field, I would someday pay it forward.  It’s been a very rewarding and valuable experience supervising Health Education and Health Promotion students

Current Position

Behaviourist with a community based Acquired Brain Injury (ABI) Outreach team

Years of Professional Experience

32 years!  I worked for four years as a Recreation Therapy Director in long term care, then 19 years as a Recreation Therapist inpatient ABI rehabilitation, and now my current position.

Affiliations

I am a founding member of the Canadian Therapeutic Recreation Association, I have been actively involved as a member, board member and subcommittee chair in our various provincial associations over the years, and now volunteer on the Licensure subcommittee for Nova Scotia Therapeutic Recreation Association.   I uphold my Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist credential from the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification. 

Education  

I proudly graduated from ¹û½´ÊÓƵ University with a Bachelor of Leisure Studies in 1987, which eventually became the Bachelor of Science in Therapeutic Recreation.

Who has influenced you the most

I found a summer job after my first year of university at a small nursing home.  The Activities Director was a wonderful woman named Gloria Merlin.  Every day I would see her interactions with the elderly, her genuine regard for their wellbeing, meeting needs that perhaps they could not voice, and her simple acts of kindness.  I learned the art of care wasn’t in the grandiose plans of large activity but in the day to day contact of one person to another.  I returned to university determined to find a profession that would match what I had experienced that summer.  I found Therapeutic Recreation.  Dr. Jerome Singleton and Mr. Andrew Ritcey have had a profound influence on my professional development, belief in the power of Therapeutic Recreation and being open to opportunities.

Why have you volunteered your time to be a mentor

I am honoured to be asked to share my thoughts as an alumni of the program.  I think it is important to give back to your profession.  I enjoy having interns, sharing through conferences and our zone meetings… these things make me feel part of my profession, helping it to grow.