Introducing VON’s new Director of Professional Practice and Education
Thien Trang is VON’s new Director, Professional Practice and Education. Thien joins the Practice, Quality and Risk (PQR) team, having been a nurse practitioner (NP) at VON’s Keene Health Centre in Keene, Ontario for the past nine years.
He brings his academic and clinical experience in the provision of primary health care to this new role, where he will support the national leadership team with regulated and unregulated practice and education at VON.
Thien was initially attracted to the NP role because of the advanced education and training required. Among their varied and many responsibilities, nurse practitioners order diagnostic tests, prescribe medications, provide comprehensive health assessments and develop treatment plans, working with diverse populations in a variety of contexts and practice settings.
“In primary care, building relationships with patients, educating them about their health conditions and empowering them to make informed decisions about their care is a foundation,” he says.
Nurse practitioners integrate their knowledge of advanced practice and theory, health management, health promotion, disease and injury prevention and other relevant biomedical and psychosocial theories to provide comprehensive health services.
Thien holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) from the University of Windsor, a Master of Science of Nursing (MSN) from York University, and a Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioners (PHCNP) designation from York University.
“I would like to leverage the fast-growing field of healthcare technology to help our staff keep up with the demands of the healthcare system,” Thien says. He also looks forward to “working with the wonderful PQR team to enhance the learning experience of our staff so they can continue to provide safe, competent and effective care.”
When not working, Thien enjoys travelling, playing golf and spending time with his family.
