Rate My Professor Maree Rarity-Steel

Maree Rarity-Steel serves as Associate Dean (Student Experience) in the Division of Health Sciences at the University of Otago, with her office associated with South Canterbury Hospital in Timaru. In this leadership role, she provides strategic oversight for student experiences across health sciences programmes, contributing to the enhancement of educational outcomes for students in fields such as medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, and related disciplines. Previously, she held the position of Associate Dean for the University of Otago's South Canterbury campus, supporting medical education initiatives including the MBChB programme and regional clinical placements. Earlier in her career at the University of Otago Christchurch, she worked as a Lecturer in the Centre for Postgraduate Nursing Studies, where she supervised summer studentship projects focused on critical topics like the recognition of clinical deterioration in community-based nursing care.

In 2023, Maree Rarity-Steel completed her Doctor of Philosophy at the Higher Education Development Centre, University of Otago, with a thesis titled 'The teaching experiences of medical interns in a period of accelerated change: A phenomenographic study,' supervised by Professor Anthony Harland. Her research explores the qualitative experiences of medical educators and interns navigating transitions in teaching and learning within New Zealand's healthcare settings. She has contributed to medical education research themes, particularly in transitions within teaching and learning, as documented by the University of Otago Faculty of Medicine. Additionally, she co-authored the 2021 publication 'Nurse perspectives of nurse-sensitive indicators for positive patient outcomes: A Delphi study' in the journal Collegian, affiliated with the Centre for Postgraduate Nursing Studies, which identified key nursing activities such as effective communication and early detection of patient deterioration through a three-round Delphi process involving clinical nurse specialists. Maree Rarity-Steel has been actively involved in interprofessional education efforts, including the INTERact project aimed at embedding interprofessional learning in student clinical placements, and has participated in strategic planning for interprofessional education across the Division of Health Sciences. Her work supports the development of health professional education, emphasizing practical skills, student support, and collaborative healthcare training.