Judith Spiers, PhD, RN

Area of Study / Keywords

Chronic illness patient-healthcare professional interaction and communication qualitative research video ethnography interaction analysis

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About

I am a New Zealand born nurse (Diploma of Nursing (Comprehensive) Hawke's Bay Community College, Napier, New Zealand (1986).

After earning my post-RN Bachelor of Social Science degree at Massey University (1990), I left NZ to complete my MN at the University of Alberta (1994). From there, I spent five years at the University of University of California, San Francisco completing my doctoral degree (2000).

A three-year CIHR & Killam (Honorary) postdoctoral fellowship at the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology, University of Alberta (2000-2003) finished my research training. I joined the Faculty of Nursing in 2003.

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Research

My research program explores the nature of chronic and invisible illness and how this is constructed and understood in health professional-client interactions. I am interested in exploring communication processes to acknowledge, negotiate and resolve dys-synchrony between clients and health professionals' understanding of what it is like to live daily with chronic illness. My research approaches are primarily qualitative, with a strong interest in the use of visual media, such as video, in understanding life with chronic illness.

I am also interested in how the quality of the clinical work environment impacts how nurses go about offering nursing services and “being with” their clients. Recently, this work has focused on potentially avoidable transfers of frail nursing home residents to the emergency department via 911 call. I have completed projects developing documentation tools and educational modules for LPNs to reduce unnecessary transfers. Presently, I am working with the TREC team to explore the impact of COVID-19 on long term care workers.

I am also interested in nursing education. I have explored the empirical support for the use of Context/Problem Based Learning in undergraduate nursing education and how doctoral students develop as scholars in the context of a remote delivery program.

I am proud to be a Distinguished Scholar for the International Institute of Qualitative Methodology. I am dedicated to helping develop qualitative inquiry capacity and love offering methods workshops. My approach to working with students is very relational with the aim of gradually increasing independence over time as the student gains knowledge and skills. My preference is to work within qualitative research, but I am interested in all kinds of research in my areas of chronic illness, interaction, education, and workplace satisfaction.

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Teaching

I have taught extensively in the undergraduate, graduate and Honors programs. I have taught nursing theory, philosophy, research methods and honors seminar courses. Supervising student research is one of my favourite responsibilities. Students working with me can expect to have fun, challenge and transform their ideas and practices.

NURS 425 - Nursing Leadership in a Focus Area

This leadership experience provides opportunity to consolidate prior learning and develop confidence and competence as students prepare to transition to the role of the Registered Nurse. The focus is on collaboration with interprofessional teams, systems thinking, and healthcare system change. Students evaluate the influence of evidence, policy and legislation on decision-making in complex health systems using a relational practice lens. Students demonstrate and enhance their own relational capacity as leaders and innovators for 21st Century Canadian healthcare. Fieldwork hours listed are the total number of hours and will be offered over 12 weeks. Prerequisites: All courses in the program except NURS 422, INT D 420 and NURS 485. Corequisite: NURS 422 and INT D 420.

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Browse more courses taught by Judith Spiers

Paul, P., Olson, J., Spiers, J., Hyde, A

2021 April; 18 (1):1 - 9

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Bridarolli, A., Spiers, J., & Pituskin, E.

Canadian Oncology Nursing Journal . 2020 September; 30 (1):38 - 42

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Pooler, C., Mekechuk, J., Dochartaigh, D.O., Desrochers, C., Spiers, J.

Canadian Journal of Emergency Nursing . 2020 May; 43 (2)

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Lefebvre, D., Le, A., Spiers, J., Scott, S.D.

International Journal of Nursing Student Scholarship. 2020 May; 7

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Tate, K., Spiers, J.A, El-Bialy, R., Cummings, G.G.

Journal of Applied Gerontology,. 2020 March; 39 (854):846 - 854

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Murad, M.S., Spiers, J.A., & Guirguis, L.M.

Research in Social & Administrative Pharmacy. 2016 October; 13 (6):1110 – 1126

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Spiers, J. A., Lo, E., Hofmeyer, A., & Cummings, G. G.

Canadian Journal of Nursing Leadership. 2016 May; 29 (2):64-81

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Trahan L, Spiers J, Cummings GG. . 17(11),

Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.. 2016 May; 17 (11):994-1005

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Hays, C., Spiers, J.A, Paterson, B.

Qualitative Health Research. 2015 December; 25 (11):1576 – 1588.

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Logue EP, Ali S, Spiers JA, Newton AS, Lander JA

Open Access Emergency Medicine. 2013 January; 5

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Spiers JA, Paul P, Jennings D, Weaver K

The Qualitative Report. 2012 January; 17 (Article 48):1-22

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Williams B, Spiers JA, Fisk A, Richard E, Gibson B, Kabotoff W, McIlwraith D, Sculley A

Nurse Education Today. 2012 January; 32

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Spiers JA, Cummings GG, Langenhoff P, Sharlow J, Bhatti A

Journal of Leadership Studies. 2010 January; 4

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Spiers JA, Williams B, Gibson B, Kabotoff W, McIlwraith D, Sculley A, Richard E, Fisk A

Alberta RN. 2010 January; 66 (2):20-22