Jennifer Cowles is the care coordinator RN at the General Internal Medical Teaching Unit (MTU) at the Calgary Foothills Hospital. Her practice areas have included general medicine, rehabilitation units, and a brief stint on a women’s surgical unit.
Passionate about working with general internal medicine populations, chronic diseases, and discharge planning, Jennifer’s goals include collaboratively improving the discharge planning process. She is also interested in exploring innovative health technology to help bridge discharge processes as well as developing community partnerships. This interest brought her to W21C, where she engages with the research on Unit 36 and supports W21C research team members.
Jennifer came to Calgary in 1998 following the completion a diploma in nursing in 1993 and her BSc in 1999 at the University College of the Cariboo in Kamloops, British Columbia. She spent five years working at the Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops before joining the MTU at the Calgary Foothills Hospital, and in 2002 she became the care coordinator RN. Functioning in a long-standing position as the MTU RN, Jennifer has created many relationships throughout the hospital with a goal to collaborate and provide flexible approaches to the patient care processes in discharge planning. Jennifer works in a multidisciplinary manner with patients and family, nurses, allied health teams, residents, and community clinics to improve care coordination for the patient through the admission to discharge process.
Jennifer is currently completing a master’s of health studies through an online program at Athabasca University.