Rate My Professor Jo Seiler

Professor Jo Seiler serves as Dean of Nursing and Midwifery at Charles Darwin University, a position to which she was appointed in 2023. In this leadership role, she oversees nursing and midwifery education and programs at the institution. Professor Seiler has a longstanding connection with Charles Darwin University, as evidenced by her delivery of the occasional address at the evening graduation ceremony in October 2017, at which time she was referred to as Dr Jo Seiler. A Registered Nurse by qualification, she has contributed significantly to efforts addressing occupational challenges in nursing within the Northern Territory healthcare system.

One of Professor Seiler's notable academic contributions is her co-authorship of the 2012 peer-reviewed article 'Organisational intervention to reduce occupational stress and turnover rates in the staff of an NT hospital,' published in the Collegian journal and affiliated with Charles Darwin University. The study evaluated a comprehensive organisational intervention implemented in two Northern Territory public hospitals to combat a 55% nurse turnover rate. Strategies included developing a nursing workload assessment tool, conducting roster audits, increasing nursing personnel, enhancing access to clinical supervision and graduate support, expanding professional development opportunities such as postgraduate and short courses, and launching recruitment campaigns. Utilising a pre- and post-intervention design with surveys from 484 nurses across two waves, the research revealed significant reductions in psychological distress and emotional exhaustion, improvements in job satisfaction in both hospitals, and decreased turnover in one hospital between 2008 and 2010. Findings highlighted enhancements in system capacity including adaptability and communication, alongside reductions in job demands and increases in job resources like supervisor support, coworker support, and job control. The publication has garnered 86 Scopus citations and provides compelling evidence for the effectiveness of system-level interventions in managing occupational stress among hospital nurses. Furthermore, Professor Seiler was named a finalist in the 2025 Northern Territory Nursing and Midwifery Excellence Awards.