BN, BN(Honours), Grad Cert in Higher Edu, PhD Candidate Gunilla is originally from Sweden and arrived in Australia 1995. During her first years in Australia she run a successful truism business ‘Port Macquarie Camel Safaris’ before she commenced her nursing studies a University of Newcastle. After completing her bachelor’s degree Gunilla commenced an Honours program while gaining practical clinical experience at Port Macquarie Base Hospital, where she worked in cardiac, inpatient medical, oncology and surgical nursing. Gunilla changed focus to education and research and became a lecturer in nursing at the University of Newcastle’s Port Macquarie campus where she commenced her PhD candidature as well as supervising honours students. Gunilla’s interest in education and research was first sparked at an international nursing and education conference in 2010 where she delivered a conference presentation on how a cultural excursion to Thailand influenced students’ perceptions of international nursing and education. Having lived in Australia and Sweden, and with previous business experience, Gunilla has a wealth of experience to offer students at the Charles Sturt University. She thrives in the tutorial room, where she can interact with students and promote evidence-based practice and research. Gunilla is committed to empowering future nurses as leaders in the advancement of preventative community health services. Gunilla’s research is driven by a desire to better acknowledge and understand patient experiences, an undertaking that could significantly improve their care and quality of life. Gunilla’s Honours research project explored how humour could influence the patient-nurse therapeutic relationship. Using narrative inquiry, a relatively new methodology at the time, her work led to two well-received publications and multiple conference presentations. Gunilla Doctorate explored patients’ experiences of surviving cardiac arrest and subsequent cardiopulmonary resuscitation using qualitative methodologies. The findings have been published in six articles as well presentations in multiple international nursing conferences. Gunilla has a continued interest of the influence of humour in health care and in nursing education and will further explore the impact humour has on both patients and nursing students wellbeing.
Nursing
Gunilla Haydon
Lecturer in Nursing
Port Macquarie
Building 833 Room 13