We're proud of Kerry - our 'Nurse Educator of the Year'
Published on 23 December, 2009
CQUniversity is proud that one of our leading academics - Dr Kerry Reid-Searl - has been recognised as the inaugural Pearson/ANTS Nurse Educator of the Year*...
[Pearson is the leading educational publisher in Australia and
ANTS is the Australian Nurse Teachers' Society]
As a teacher in the undergraduate nursing program at CQUniversity for the past 18 years, Kerry has earned a reputation as someone who has been able to make a difference to a student learning journey. 2009 WINNER - Pearson/ANTS Nursing Educator of the Year Award
Dr Kerry Reid-Searl beside some of her teaching identities and tools
"I take time to know the students and understand their learning experiences. I have learnt over the years that the most important aspect is connecting with students in order to shape their learning and make a difference," she said.
Kerry has already gained several teaching awards, including the Vice Chancellor's award for Teacher of the Year in 2007, a Science Engineering and Health Faculty Teaching Award in 2007 and an ALTC (Australian Learning and Teaching Council) Citation for her outstanding contribution to student learning. Last year, she was named CQUniversity ‘Teacher of the Year' (unijobs.com) as voted by students. The latest award consists of a cheque for $3000 and a plaque.
These awards confirm Kerry's ability to reach, teach and inspire students through her innovative teaching strategies, mixing the latest technology and also the more hands-on role play. Her most significant claim for innovation and excellence in teaching for the 2008-2009 period has been her pioneering and unique work with high fidelity patient latex simulation (in other words realistic masks to simulate different types of patients).
Kerry has contributed significantly towards medication safety and undergraduate nursing students. Her work in this area has led to numerous international publications and conference presentations. She has also been a part of an authoring team for several nursing text books which are now being utilized across Australia.
Images from Kerry's visit to Thailand last year
Ensuring she is up to date with clinical issues, Kerry continues to practice as a registered nurse in the paediatric ward at Rockhampton Hospital, gaining access to new information and equipment and thus transfering current practice back to the university learning environment for students.
Despite this busy workload, Kerry has found time over the past 12 months to help lead groups of nursing students to work in impoverished areas of Thailand and Nepal.
Kerry started her nursing career in the early 1980s and by the end of the decade was a qualified midwife with experience in city hospitals and as a Remote Area Nurse. She went on to complete bachelor and masters degrees and carried out PhD research into the ‘Medication administration experiences of final-year nursing students'.
