Rate My Professor Sharon Bourke

Dr. Sharon Bourke serves as a Senior Lecturer in Nursing within the School of Nursing and Midwifery at La Trobe University, part of the Faculty of Health Sciences. She holds the position of Coordinator for the Alfred Clinical School. Bourke began her professional journey as a registered nurse, gaining extensive experience as a clinical nurse, manager, and educator in emergency and acute care environments. Her PhD research centered on the team communication skills of nurses, underscoring her dedication to improving interpersonal dynamics in healthcare teams. She actively participates in the Care Economy Research Institute at La Trobe University, contributing to initiatives on health workforce development.

Bourke's research specializations include the teaching and learning of patient deterioration, cultural safety, communication, teamwork, and the patient and family experience in healthcare. She emphasizes simulation and emerging technologies as key modalities for education, while advocating passionately for the integration of student voices in co-creating learning programs to build a knowledgeable, resilient future healthcare workforce. A pivotal study led by Bourke explored nursing students' communication during simulated patient emergencies, revealing that up to 80% of medical errors stem from deficiencies in non-technical skills such as communication and teamwork. Influenced by factors including culture, language, gender, age, and power dynamics, the research introduced a theoretical model of 'navigating uncertainty' with stages: finding a place in the team, understanding and working out differences, and developing strategies for improvement. This work advocates for educational programs enhancing tolerance of uncertainty, self-evaluation, and resilience, particularly for culturally and linguistically diverse students. Her influential publications encompass 'The widening gap between the digital capability of the care workforce and technology-enabled healthcare delivery: a nursing and allied health analysis' (2023), 'Factors impacting retention of aged care workers: a systematic review' (2023), 'Undergraduate health professional students’ team communication in simulated emergency settings: a scoping review' (2021), and 'Health care experiences in rural, remote, and metropolitan areas of Australia' (2021).