Rate My Professor Virginia Jones

Associate Professor Virginia Jones is Head of the Department of Nursing at the University of Otago, Christchurch, within the Faculty of Health Professional Programmes, Health Sciences Division. She holds a PhD and a Postgraduate Diploma in Health Sciences from the University of Otago and is a Registered Nurse. Promoted to Associate Professor effective 1 February 2025, she serves as Academic Leader for the Master of Nursing Science programme, a two-year pathway enabling graduates from any discipline to become registered nurses. Jones teaches core postgraduate courses including NURS441 Professional Nursing in New Zealand, NURS447 Applied Nursing Research, and NURS503 Nursing Clients with Complex Health States. She supervises Master's and PhD students and contributes to the department's research on improving clinical outcomes for individuals with long-term, acute, and complex conditions.

Jones's research specializations centre on family-centred care, chronic respiratory diseases in paediatrics, self-management of type 2 diabetes in Pacifica communities, and technology-enhanced education and learning. Her PhD thesis examined family-centred care for children with chronic respiratory disease in New Zealand, informing her postdoctoral work on supporting parents and families managing childhood asthma. Current investigations focus on diabetes self-management among Pacifica populations, alongside collaborative projects developing lifestyle and mindfulness interventions for the elderly and advancing technology-enhanced teaching in nursing. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, with key works including 'Dissemination and influence of the International Family Nursing Association Position Statements: A scoping review' (2026, Journal of Family Nursing), 'Constructing a theory of Cook Islands Māori palliative care in New Zealand' (2025, Mortality), 'Consumer engagement in teaching and learning across health disciplines: A systematic quantitative literature review' (2025, Nurse Education in Practice), 'Nurse leaders' perceptions of organisational policies, guidelines, and practices that enact children and young people's involvement in hospitals' (2025, Journal of Child Health Care), 'Education pathways for graduate entry registered nurses to transition to advanced practice roles: A realist review' (2024), 'Exploring the experiences and perceptions of students in a graduate entry nursing programme: A qualitative meta-synthesis' (2021, Nurse Education Today), and 'What motivates people to commence a graduate entry nursing programme?' (2021, BMC Nursing). Her contributions enhance nursing education, clinical practice, and health equity, particularly for Māori and Pacific peoples.