Rate My Professor Rebecca Caulfield

Rebecca Caulfield is a Lecturer in Nursing in the School of Nursing at Murdoch University, where she joined in May 2025. A registered nurse with more than fifteen years of clinical experience in emergency nursing at a large tertiary emergency department, her practical background directly informs her teaching and research endeavors. Caulfield holds a Bachelor of Nursing from the University of Canberra (2009), a Graduate Diploma in Emergency Nursing from the University of Tasmania (2019), and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment from the Canberra Institute of Technology (2019). She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney (since 2021), with her doctoral research centered on staff wellbeing in critical care areas. Prior to her current role, she served as a Lecturer in Nursing at the University of Canberra from 2020 to April 2025, where she convened the third-year clinical unit focusing on the complexity and acuity of patient presentations, demonstrating leadership in aligning the Bachelor of Nursing program. She continues clinical work in emergency departments, supporting students during placements and bridging theory with practice.

Caulfield's academic interests lie in nursing staff wellbeing, occupational distress, and the effects of practice environments and external factors like COVID-19 restrictions on nurses, particularly in oncology, haematology, and emergency settings. Her key publications include 'Factors preceding occupational distress in emergency nurses: An integrative review' (Journal of Clinical Nursing, 2023, co-authored with Taneal Wiseman, Janice Gullick, and Rebekah Ogilvie; cited 52 times), which synthesized sixteen studies to identify precursors to distress among emergency nurses. Other significant works are 'Impact of the Practice Environment on Oncology and Haematology Nurses’ Work Engagement and Emotional Exhaustion' (2023, with Amy O'Dea and Michael Roche; cited 10 times) and 'The Impact of COVID-19 Visitor Restrictions on Clinical Cancer Nurses' (2024, with Amy O'Dea and Michael Roche; cited 3 times). She has contributed to conference presentations, such as at ANZAHPE in 2025 with Nathan Oliver, and supervises postgraduate honours research students. Through her roles in simulation leadership, wound care, and scholarly activities, Caulfield advances nursing education and supports the development of clinicians equipped for high-acuity care delivery.