Melody Hong Yan Pan
Canada Chinese Nurses Association, Canada.
Abstract Title:
Biography:
Hong Yan Melody Pan is a registered nurse based in British Columbia, Canada, with extensive experience from 2004 across acute and community care settings. In 2018, Melody earned a Master's degree in nursing focusing on Leadership from Trinity Western University. Additionally, she holds specialty nursing certificates in critical care and nephrology nursing. Before immigration, Melody worked as pharmacist in China for 5 years. For over a decade, Melody has been a clinical nurse educator in a community home care environment, demonstrating her commitment to patient care and professional development. Her dedication to improving healthcare extends beyond her professional roles; Melody is deeply passionate about healthcare system reform, aiming to enhance access, affordability, and sustainability. Driven by her commitment to lifelong learning, Melody embarked on the Grand Canyon University ( USA) EdD program in 2022, specializing in organizational leadership in health administration. Her dissertation focuses on exploring the perceptions of internationally educated nurses regarding their practice in Canada and their experiences in career advancement. Beyond her professional growth journey, Melody is an avid volunteer, dedicating her spare time to serving as a reservist in the Royal Canadian Navy. Her overarching career aspiration is to contribute to global health initiatives, aiming to work with organizations such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations to advocate for healthcare access and equality globally.
Research Interest:
Barriers to Leadership Advancement among Internationally Educated Nurses in Canada: A Qualitative Study
This study explores the leadership advancement barriers experienced by internationally educated nurses (IENs) in Canada. Despite IENs playing a vital role in the Canadian healthcare system, they remain significantly underrepresented in leadership positions. Many IENs possess comparable or even greater clinical experience than their domestically educated peers; however, they often face exclusion from leadership opportunities due to systemic, cultural, and credentialing barriers. These challenges are compounded by broader issues such as immigration status, gender, language proficiency, workplace culture, and systemic discrimination within healthcare institutions. There is currently a limited body of research that centers the voices of IENs and examines how these interrelated barriers affect their leadership development. Understanding these experiences is critical for informing inclusive policy reforms, promoting workforce equity, and improving retention of experienced nurses in leadership roles.
The primary aim of this qualitative study is to identify and explore the multifaceted barriers that prevent IENs from advancing into leadership roles in the Canadian healthcare system. Specifically, the study seeks to examine the lived experiences of IENs regarding leadership exclusion and leadership aspiration, identify structural and organizational cultural barriers within healthcare institutions, and generate recommendations for equitable leadership development pathways. A qualitative narrative inquiry or descriptive design will be used, with data collected through semi-structured interviews conducted with IENs currently practicing in Canada. Thematic analysis will be employed using MAXQDA 24 software to identify patterns, themes, and interconnections within participants’ narratives.