11/13/2025
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⭐️ NP Week Spotlight: Tina Woollings
Today we’re highlighting Tina, a Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Lead at the Kirkland District Family Health Team. Tina provides care to patients of all ages - from prenatal care and chronic disease management to mental health and addictions support.
➡️ Path to Becoming an NP:
Tina began her career as a diploma nurse and worked in intensive care before returning to school to complete her nursing degree. She later moved into leadership as a Head Nurse in Obstetrics but eventually realized she wanted more independence and hands-on patient care.
“I’ve always been searching for my own autonomy - I love decision-making, problem-solving, and critical thinking.”
When Tina first became a Nurse Practitioner, the profession was in its early days in Ontario. “We could hardly write a prescription for an earache at first,” she recalls. “But the list of what we could do expanded almost every six months.”
Tina found her passion as she began working in a clinic for unattached patients, providing cervical screening, primary care support, and mental health and addictions support. She was a member of the committee that applied to become a Family Health Team, which lead them to expand into the practice they have today, with Respiratory Therapy, Pharmacists, Social Work, and Dietitians to support their clients.
➡️ Being an NP:
“This is the best job I’ve ever had as a nurse,” Tina says. “It’s challenging but so rewarding. Being a Nurse Practitioner means meeting people where they are and working with them from there.”
Her practice focuses on building trust, spending time with each person, and supporting change at their own pace. She emphasizes that this one-on-one connection - and the time spent with each patient - is what makes NP-led care so impactful.
➡️ Community Leadership and Advocacy
Tina is a member of the Timiskaming Ontario Health Team Primary Care Network and was Chair of the Steering Committee and Board that secured funding for the CMHA-CT Recovery Centre (formally known Northeastern recovery Centre) in Kirkland Lake - a grassroots effort that grew into a vital local service.
As she approaches retirement, Tina continues to advocate for vulnerable populations and improved access to primary care. She hopes to see Nurse Practitioners play a greater role in programs such as Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support to help close existing gaps in care.
Please join us in thanking Tina for her leadership, compassion, and service to the Kirkland Lake community, and for her ongoing contributions to the Timiskaming OHT’s work toward equitable, accessible care for all.
Nurse Practitioners' Association of Ontario
