Nurse Practitioner, Owner and Medical Director
Jennifer Splane, NP, PhD(c), MN.ANP, BN, BSc
Jennifer Splane is a nurse practitioner, and the owner and Medical Director of The Welle Medical Clinic in Rothesay, New Brunswick.
About Jennifer
Background
Jen spent five years as a registered nurse in critical care before beginning her role as a nurse practitioner. She began her nurse practitioner career in addictions and mental health, and continues to work in primary care alongside her practice here.
Jennifer is also a trainer and speaker for Galderma Canada's GAIN program, and the Atlantic research and training Key Opinion Leader for Xcite Technologies.
What a consultation looks like
Every patient is seen for an assessment before any treatment is booked with no charge. The appointment is a conversation in which you set out what is concerning you and what you would like to change, and Jen brings her clinical assessment and the evidence behind the options open to you, so that the treatment plan is one the two of you build together.
Where that evidence is limited, Jen will say so, because much of the research in aesthetic medicine is funded by the companies who manufacture the products being studied, and that is worth knowing when you are deciding whether something is right for you.
Research and publication
Jennifer is the lead author of Canadian clinical practice recommendations for preventing infections in aesthetic medicine, published in Plastic and Aesthetic Nursing in 2026. It is the first Canadian guidance of its kind, and it is what the infection prevention protocols in this clinic are built on.
She is a peer reviewer for that journal, and the founding Director of the Nursing Aesthetic Research and Education Alliance (AREA), a national group supporting research, academic collaboration and peer-reviewed publication in aesthetic and procedural nursing. Jen is also a doctoral trainee for the Canadian Centre for Advanced Practice Nursing Research (CCAPNR) out of McMaster University.
She is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Health at Dalhousie University. Her doctoral research examines the practice patterns and experiences of nurse practitioners providing episodic virtual care. Her published work also covers advanced practice nursing retention, paediatric to adult healthcare transitions, patient navigation and case management in primary care.
Her full publication record is at orcid.org/0000-0002-5433-8475. Her research profile is on ResearchGate.
Teaching
Jen has taught pharmacotherapeutics for nurse practitioners at Dalhousie University's School of Nursing, and taught and supervised undergraduate nursing students at the University of New Brunswick in Saint John from 2019 to 2024. She holds a Diploma in University Teaching.
She also works as a contract nurse practitioner consultant to the College of Nurses of New Brunswick, and speaks at national symposia on infection prevention, professionalism in aesthetic nursing, and skin health through menopause.
Education
PhD, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University, in progress
Diploma in Dermatology, Royal College (Ireland), in progress
Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP) certification, The Menopause Society, in progress
Master of Nursing, Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner stream, University of New Brunswick
Diploma in University Teaching, University of New Brunswick
Bachelor of Nursing, University of New Brunswick, Saint John
BSc, Biology-Psychology, University of New Brunswick, Saint John
Selected publications
Splane, J., Doucet, S., Rothfus, M., Lavergne, R. & Martin-Misener, R. (2025). Mapping the provision of care by nurse practitioners in virtual health care clinics: a scoping review protocol. JBI Evidence Synthesis.
Lavergne, M. R., Easley, J., McDonald, T., et al., incl. Splane, J. (2025). Examining experiences and system impacts of publicly funded episodic virtual care. BMJ Open, 15(3).
Splane, J., Horvath, S., Ziegler, E., Savard, I., Carter, N., Kilpatrick, K., Bryant-Lukosius, D. & Martin-Misener, R. (2023). Retention of Canadian advanced practice nurses: what will it take? Nursing Leadership, 36(1), 16-32.
Splane, J., Doucet, S. & Luke, A. (2023). Transitioning from paediatric to adult healthcare. Journal of Child Health Care.
Doucet, S., Splane, J., Luke, A., Asher, K. E., Breneol, S., et al. (2022). Programmes to support paediatric to adult healthcare transitions. Child: Care, Health and Development. Joint first authorship with S. Doucet.
Doucet, S., Luke, A., Splane, J. & Azar, R. (2019). Patient navigation as an approach to improve the integration of care: the case of NaviCare/SoinsNavi. International Journal of Integrated Care, 19(4).
Hudon, C., Chouinard, M.-C., Aubrey-Bassler, K., Burge, F., Doucet, S., et al., incl. Splane, J. (2018). Case management in primary care for frequent users of healthcare services with chronic diseases and complex care needs: an implementation and realist evaluation protocol. BMJ Open, 8(11), e026433.