Rate My Professor Smitha Raj Sarala Rajan

Smitha Raj Sarala Rajan is a Lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health, at Adelaide University. Throughout her 23-year nursing career, she has worked in a variety of specialties, with most clinical experience in orthopaedics, trauma, and neurosurgery acute care. She served as an active member of in-service education and training teams in India and Ireland. Smitha has provided clinical facilitation and preceptorship for students from diverse nursing, medical, and allied health specialties. Her clinical appointments include Registered Nurse at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, India (2003-2005); Senior Registered Nurse at Max Healthcare, India (2006); Registered Nurse at Assisi House LTD, Ireland (2006-2007); Senior Registered Nurse at Hermitage Medical Clinic, Ireland (2007-2013); and Senior Registered Nurse at Calvary Wakefield Hospital, Australia (2013-2024). In academic roles, she was Academic Tutor (casual) at Flinders University (2021-2023) and University of South Australia (2021-2024), Associate Lecturer in Nursing at University of Adelaide (2024), Lecturer in Nursing at University of South Australia (2024-2025), and Lecturer in Nursing at Adelaide University (2026-present). Previously, she was a nursing lecturer at UniSA’s Clinical and Health Sciences Academic Unit, City East Campus.

Rajan holds a Bachelor of Nursing Science (BNS) from Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre (2000-2003), Postgraduate Diploma in Orthopaedics (Nursing) from University of Tasmania (2017-2021), Master of Nursing Science from University of Adelaide (2021-2024), and is pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy at Adelaide University (expected 2026). Her research interests include child and adolescent development, community child health, curriculum and pedagogy, equity and access to education, mental health nursing, primary health care, and inclusive education. Her research focuses on supporting and empowering neurodivergent individuals, their families, and carers to improve wellbeing, promote autonomy, and enhance inclusion in healthcare and education settings. Key projects are the current 'Supporting Neurodivergent undergraduate students in Higher Education' and the completed 'Parents’ experiences in accessing and navigating Healthcare Settings for their Autistic children: Empowerment and a Person- and Family-Centred Care Approach.' She presented this project at the 2025 Neurodivergence Wellbeing Conference, Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association. Her teaching strengths encompass evidence-based clinical education, interdisciplinary clinical simulation, course coordination, technology integrated education, cultural diversity, and student mentorship. Courses taught include HLTH 1036 Global and National Health, HLTH 1047 First Peoples' Health, NURS 2041 Mental Health Nursing, NURS 3045 Nursing Context of Practice: Primary Health Care, NURS 2023 Health of Adults, NURS 2040 Assessment, Diagnostics and Pharmacotherapeutics, and NURS 3056 Transition to Professional Practice in 2024 and 2025.