Rate My Professor Kathleen Kafel

Kathleen Kafel serves as Clinical Associate Lecturer A and Senior Lecturer III in the Department of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Salve Regina University, a Master of Science in Gerontology from the University of Massachusetts Boston, and is currently enrolled in the PhD program in Nursing Education at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. A registered nurse with clinical experience as a Clinical Nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital and Clinical Instructor at Boston Medical Center, Kafel also directs Undergraduate Clinical Education as part of the Manning College of Nursing and Health Sciences Dedicated Education Unit team, fostering academic-service partnerships at hospitals including Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Her research specializations include Medical-Surgical Adult Health Nursing, innovative methods of clinical education, and transitioning clinicians into clinical educators. Kafel has co-authored the publication 'Enhancing quality and safety competency development at the unit level: an initial evaluation of student learning and clinical teaching on dedicated education units' in the Journal of Nursing Education (2009). She teaches courses in Adult Health Nursing, Nursing Process, skills development, and transitioning from clinical to educator roles. Kafel coordinates biannual presentations by Dedicated Education Unit students at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Good Samaritan Medical Center, aimed at improving patient care, teamwork, collaboration, and quality initiatives. Her contributions to nursing education have been recognized with the Outstanding BS Poster Presentation from the Eastern Nursing Research Society, the Innovative Teaching Award from the Massachusetts Association of Colleges of Nursing, and the Excellence in Nursing Education award from The Boston Globe’s 'Salute to Nursing Education.' Additionally, she serves as a guest speaker at local vocational and technical high schools on nursing careers and represents the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at information sessions and Welcome Day events.