Natalie Matthews, BSC MSN RN

(She, Her, Hers)

Associate Professor of Teaching

School of Nursing

Office: ART 144
Email: natalie.matthews@ubc.ca

Research Summary

Innovative educational modalities; mindfulness; moral injury; moral resilience, compassion in nursing practice

Courses & Teaching

She has taught in multiple areas across the undergraduate program.
Most recent teaching includes:
NRSG 125 Relational Practice I
HINT 320 Global Health
NRSG 432 Capstone Community Project
NRSG 431 Capstone Acute Care Preceptorship
NRSG 434 Practice Electives
NRSG 437 Mental Health Preceptorship
NRSG 438 Community Health Preceptorship

Biography

Natalie Matthews was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Prior to attending John Abbott College to study Nursing, she received her BSc from Dalhousie University. She went on to obtain her MSN at the University of British Columbia. She spent the first aspect of her nursing career as a bedside nurse caring for families in the maternity and paediatric settings. She brings a deep and sustained commitment to the well-being and development of nurses across the professional lifespan. Her passion lies in creating spaces where students and nurses can reflect on their identity, presence, and cultivate connection with others—elements she believes are foundational to both effective care and sustainable nursing practice. She spends time cultivating and supporting students to grow the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities that are critical for a smooth transition to becoming new graduate nurses; this is one of the most exciting and rewarding aspects of her work. She guides future nurses to embody and grow their leadership, moral resilience, relational capacity, and self-stewardship. She is a passionate advocate for well-being in healthcare environments and believes that mindful, relationally grounded, resilient nurses are key to transforming not only individual experiences of care, but also shifting the broader culture of healthcare to one that is steeped in compassion and inclusive care.

Degrees

MSN University of British Columbia 2016
RN John Abbott College 1997
BSc Dalhousie University 1994
smartMindfulness Facilitator I

Research Interests & Projects

Research Projects:

Creating sustainable and modern relational practice courses within the School of Nursing with innovative and collaborative pedagogies (2025- )

 

 

Selected Publications & Presentations

Presentations:

Matthews, N.L. (2024). Relational Practice : BE-ing in Practice. Presented Online to Registered Nurses across Canada in the High Readiness Detachment (Ottawa) | 1 Canadian Field Hospital | Canadian Armed Forces.

Matthews, N.L. (2024). Relational Practice, Mindfulness & Nursing.  Presented Online to Registered Nurses across in the Critical Care Nursing | Canadian Forces Health Services Headquarters | Canadian Armed Forces.

Matthews, N. L. (2018). Contemporary nursing practice education: Notes on implementing a new approach to engage students in clinical practice learning. 2018 Canadian Nursing Education Conference: Responding to a Changing World. 

Matthews, N. L., Epp, S., Reekie, M. (2018). Intentional learning: A critical component of the integrative curriculum for competency development. 2018 Canadian Nursing Education Conference: Responding to a Changing World. 

Matthews, N.L., Epp, S., & Reekie, M. (2017). Intentional Learning: A critical component of the Integrative Curriculum for Competency Development. University of Alberta | School of Nursing, 26^th Annual Scholarship and Faculty Development Conference| Relationships, Leadership and Dedicated Practice.

Matthews, N.L., Epp, S., & Reekie, M. (2017). Intentional Learning: A critical component of the Integrative Curriculum for Competency Development. University of Victoria | School of Nursing, Undergraduate Curriculum.

Matthews, N.L., Jasper, D., de Bosch Kemper, N. (2016). Re-designing learning in the classroom–flipping the classroom. 3^rd Annual Nursing and Allied Health Educators Conference at Sea. Alaska.

Publications:

Adhikari, S. P., Maldonado-Rodriguez, N., Smiley, S. C., Lewis, C. D., Horst, M. D., Lai, C.W.J., Matthews, N.L., Mason, K., Varto, H. & Donkelaar, P. V. (2023). Characterizing possible acute brain injury in women experiencing intimate partner violence: a retrospective chart review. Violence against women, p. 1-20. DOI: 10778012231159417.

Murdoch, N.L., Bottorff, J.L., & McCullough, D. (2014). Simulation education approaches to enhance collaborative healthcare: A best practices review. International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 10(1), p. 301-327. DOI: 10.1515/ijnes-2013-002.

Murdoch, N.L., Epp, S., Vinek, J. (2017). Teaching and learning activities to educate nursing students for interprofessional collaboration: A scoping review. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 31(6), 744-753. DOI: 10.1080/13561820.2017.1356807

 

Selected Grants & Awards

Ministry Funded – School of Nursing Leadership Development Scholar 2025-2026

UBC Golden Apple Teaching Award (2017): Creating a safe classroom environment

Professional Services/Affiliations/Committees

UBC Workplace Wellbeing Ambassador

UBC Undergraduate Curriculum Committee

UBC Global Health Committee

UBC College of Graduate Studies UBC Okanagan Neutral Chair Committee