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Associate Professor Sandra West

RN RM, PhD BSc Macquarie IntCareCert(St Vincent's Hospital), FRCNA
Associate Professor

M02C - 88 Mallett Street - Building C
The University of Sydney

Telephone +61 2 9351 0564
Fax +61 2 9351 0615

Website Contact details

Biographical details

I am a registered nurse and midwife with a clinical background in critical care practice, and have worked as an academic for more than 20 years. My research focuses on issues related to the nursing workforce, and I also have a particular interest in e-learning and the use of ICT-based technologies in research and practice.


As well as holding various adminstrative positions such as the Associate Dean for Postgraduate and Research Students and the Head of the former Department of Clinical Nursing, I have recently completed a three-year part-time secondment as the Academic Director of eLearning for the faculties of Health.

In this role I worked with Sydney eLearning and the faculties of Dentistry, Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Midwifery, and Pharmacy to address the University’s strategic goals in this important and rapidly developing area of learning and teaching.


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Research interests

Areas of expertise
My research work focuses on three broad areas:

• Shift-work and its effects for women specifically. Projects include investigating shiftwork tolerance in mid-life, new graduate adaptation to shift-work and the effects of current approaches to rosters/scheduling for shift-working women.

• The (re)organisation of nursing work within acute care areas. Projects here include observational studies within the nursing workplace which are primarily focussed on nurses work at night and interview based studies of nurses experiences of their workplace especially the experiences of migrant nurses and exploring why nurses intend to continue working in clinical roles.

• The development of research cultures both within clinical environments, where I focus particularly on assisting Clinical Nurse Consultants to develop communities of practice to support their research endeavours, and within academic environments, where I work with doctoral students and colleagues to enhance their use of digitial research tools and the application of theory to research design.

I use both quantitative and qualitative research approaches as determined by the research problem under investigation, establishing project-based research teams to ensure the availability of the methodological knowledge needed to underpin a particular project. I have experience from a quantitative perspective in the design of Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) and the use psychometric scales, and from a qualitative perspective I have experience in the use of phenomenology, grounded theory,situational analysis and ethnography.

Professor Trudy Rudge and I have recently established the Society and Work in Nursing Research Group with the aim of bringing together researchers in the fields of nursing, the social sciences and the humanities to critically think both theoretically and methodologically, about nursing and its work and to contribute effectively to current debates around the value of nursing work. We welcome contact from potential PhD students and other researchers interested in working in these areas.

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Teaching and supervision

Current research students

  • Supervisor for M Kelleher, 'Clinical assessment and the haemodialysis procedure.' PhD submitted 2009
  • Supervisor for A Matheson, 'Shiftwork and nursing: The ignored connection.' PhD submitted 2009
  • Associate Supervisor for N Malouf, 'Lessons about the transition and retention of new graduate nurses from tertiary education to the workforce.' PhD submitted 2009
  • Associate Supervisor for J Cheung, Nurses’ experience of caring for “outlier patients” in the acute care setting PhD commenced 2008
  • Supervisor for M Bloom Evaluating the impact of the introduction of an elearning education tool on the health care setting: A pilot study Master of Nursing (Honours) commenced 2009
Completed research and higher degree students
  • Associate Supervisor for M Lewis, A longitudinal study of the relationship between factors influencing transition and student progression through accelerated professional preparation programs PhD awarded 2011
  • Supervisor for A Marshall Information use in clinical practice: A case study of critical care nurses’ enteral feeding decisions. PhD awarded 2008
  • Supervisor for T McNeil The use of high fidelity patient simulation in nursing: A means to effective learning? Master of Nursing (Honours) 1st Class awarded 2008
  • Supervisor for L Kwanten Shifting the focus: A systematic review of shiftwork and women’s health Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (Honours) 1st Class awarded 2007
  • Supervisor for A Shorten, 'Making Choices For Childbirth: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Decision-aid for Informed Birth after Caesarean,' two years after PhD commenced. PhD awarded 2006
Theses examined
  • Rinks M “The adoption of 3D radiation therapy planning systems in Australia” Doctor of Philosophy University of Sydney, 2009
  • Phillips N “The administration of medications via enteral tubes in adults: A systematic review of the evidence and description of actual practice” Doctor of Philosophy, La Trobe University, 2008
  • Qiaoyue GS Investigation of factors influencing women’s choice of waterbirth Bachelor of Nursing (Honours), University of Sydney, 2007
  • Kwanten L Shifting the focus: A systematic review of shiftwork and women’s health Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (Honours) University of Sydney, 2007
Areas of teaching
I currently teach several postgraduate units of study within the coursework Master of Nursing. These include Nursing Research: Methods & Application, Nursing and Work and Advanced Cellular Physiology.

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Associations

Community work
I am currently an Associate Editor of Collegian, the journal of the Royal College of Nursing Australia, and peer reviews for the following national and international journals, Australian Critical Care, Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, International Nurses Review, the Journal of Clinical Nursing and the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

I am an NHMRC occasional panel reviewer and has regularly reviewed grant applications for the Queensland Nursing Council Research Grant Scheme and the University of Sydney Research Grant Scheme.

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Selected grants

2012

  • Health and Work Research Network; Buchanan J, Bohle P, Schofield D, Colagiuri S, Hickie I, Glozier N, Shaw T, Leeder S, Grunstein R, Riley J, Johnstone R, Quinlan M, Schofield T, Jones M, Matthews L, Grant A, West S, Chen T, Nyberg D, Shrestha R, Fattore T, Scott L, Knox-Haly M, McNamara M, Callander E; DVC Research/Research Network Scheme (SyReNS).

2007

  • Shiftwork and the mid-life registered nurse: a potentially problematic combination?; West S; Nurses and Midwives Board (NSW)/Research Grants.

2000

  • The effect of environmental light exposure on the sleep quality of independently living aged adults; West S; University of Sydney/University Research Grant.
  • Sleep quality, burnout and shiftwork patterns: a multifactorial exploration of the effects of shiftwork on female nurses; West S, Bennett L; Australian Research Council (ARC)/Earlier schemes: Small Grants.
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Selected publications

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Books

  • West, S., Rudge, T., Mapedzahama, V. (2012). Nurses' & Midwives' Nightwork Study Report. Sydney: University of Sydney.

Book Chapters

  • Rudge, T., Mapedzahama, V., West, S., Perron, A. (2012). The Violence of Tolerance in a Multicultural Workplace: Examples from Nursing. In David Homes, Trudy Rudge, Amelie Perron (Eds.), (Re)Thinking Violence in Health Care Settings: A Critical Approach, (pp. 31-46). Farnham, UK: Ashgate.
  • Shorten, A., Shorten, B., West, S. (2009). Preparing Consumers for Shared Decisions: Analysing the Effectiveness of a Decision-Aid for Women Making Choices about Birth after Caesarean. In Denis Murphy and Danielle Longo (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Psychology of Decision Making. New York: Nova Science Publishers.
  • Shorten, A., Shorten, B., West, S. (2007). Preparing Consumers for Shared Decisions: Analysing the effectiveness of a decision-aid for women making choices about birth after caesarean. In Elizabeth P Blakely (Eds.), Psychology of Decision Making in Health Care, (pp. 73-104). New York, United States of America: Nova Science Publishers.
  • Mullavey-O'Byrne, C., West, S. (2001). Practising Without Certainty: Providing Health Care in an Uncertain World. In J. Higgs and A. Titchen (Eds.), Professional Practice in Health, Education and the Creative Arts, (pp. 49-61). United States: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.

Journals

  • Mapedzahama, V., Rudge, T., West, S., Perron, A. (2012). Black nurse in white space? Rethinking the in/visibility of race within the Australian nursing workplace. Nursing Inquiry, 19(2), 153-164.
  • West, S., Mapedzahama, V., Ahern, M., Rudge, T. (2012). Rethinking shiftwork: mid-life nurses making it work. Nursing Inquiry.
  • Gullick, J., West, S. (2012). Uncovering the common ground in qualitative inquiry: Combining quality improvement and phenomenology in clinical nursing research. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 25(6), 532-548.
  • Malouf, N., West, S. (2011). Fitting in: A pervasive new graduate nurse need. Nurse Education Today, 31(5), 488-493.
  • Marshall, A., West, S., Aitken, L. (2011). Preferred Information Sources for Clinical Decision Making: Critical Care Nurses' Perceptions of Information Accessibility and Usefulness. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 8(4), 224-235.
  • Thornley, T., West, S. (2010). Concept formation: a supportive process for early career nurses. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 19(17-18), 2574-2579.
  • Ward, M., West, S., Peat, M., Atkinson, S. (2010). Making it Real: Project Managing Strategic e-Learning Development Processes in a Large, Campus-Based University. Journal of Distance Education, 24(1), 21-42.
  • West, S., Boughton, M., Byrnes, M. (2009). Juggling multiple temporalities: the shift work story of mid-life nurses. Journal of Nursing Management, 17(1), 110-119.
  • Ward, M., West, S. (2008). Blogging PhD Candidature: Revealing the Pedagogy. The International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society, 6(1), 60-71.
  • West, S. (2008). Shift-work: Nursing's sometimes silent partner. Collegian, 15(2), 43-44.
  • West, S., Ahern, M., Byrnes, M., Kwanten, L. (2007). New graduate nurse adaptation to shift work: Can we help? Collegian, 14(1), 23-30.
  • Long, J., West, S. (2007). Returning to nursing after a career break:elements of successful re-entry. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 25(1), 49-55.
  • Marshall, A., West, S. (2006). Enteral feeding in the critically ill: Are nursing practices contributing to hypocaloric feeding? Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 22(2), 95-105.
  • Freeman, L., Adair, V., Timperley, H., West, S. (2006). The influence of the birthplace and models of care on midwifery practice for the management of women in labour. Women and Birth, 19(4), 97-105.
  • Shorten, A., Shorten, B., Keogh, J., West, S., Morris, J. (2005). Making choices for childbirth: A randomized controlled trial of a decision-aid for informed birth after cesarean. Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care, 32(4), 252-261.
  • Marshall, A., West, S. (2004). Gastric Tonometry And Monitoring Gastrointestinal Perfusion: Using Research To Support Nursing Practice. Nursing in Critical Care, 9(3), 123-133.
  • Marshall, A., West, S. (2004). Nutrional Intake In The Critical Ill: Improving Practice Through Research. Australian Critical Care, 17(1), 6-15.
  • Marshall, A., West, S. (2003). Gastric tonometry and enteral nutrition: a possible conflict in critical care nursing practice. American Journal Of Critical Care, 12(4), 349-356.
  • Bennett, L., West, S., Wiles, V., van, L., Grasso, J. (2001). Patient falls from bed and the role of bedrails in the acute care setting. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 19, 8-13.
  • West, S. (2001). Shiftwork and you!. Collegian, 8(4), 15-21.

Conferences

  • Mapedzahama, V., Rudge, T., West, S., Perron, A. (2011). Racial/ised Visibility and Problematised Difference in Australian Workplaces: The case of skilled black African migrant nurses. 2011 Australian Critical Race and Whiteness Studies Association (ACRWSA): Directions and Intersections Conference, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia: Australian Critical Race and Whiteness Studies Association.
  • Harris, L., Lewis, M., West, S., Driscoll, P., Brown, L. (2009). Student experience in combined and accelerated Master level programs. 32nd Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia Annual Conference HERDSA 2009, Australia: Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia.
  • Green, J., Maw, M., West, S. (2006). Integrated clinical experience:perspective of final year preregistration nursing. Australian Nurse Teachers Society Conference.
  • West, S. (2002). Developing a major research project, where can it lead?. Garvan Institute Nursing Research Symposium 2002: Evidence Based Practice: Research, Relevance, Reality, : British Medical Journal Publishing Group.
  • Thadakant, S., West, S., Allnutt, S., Boontong, T. (2002). Exploring the effect of health care structure on midwifery practice in Thailand. College of Health Sciences Research Conference: From Cell to Society 3, Sydney: University of Sydney.
  • Matheson, A., West, S. (2002). The ignored connection: nursing and shiftwork. Inaugural Postgraduate Nursing Research Conference, Melbourne: University of Melbourne.
  • Marshall, A., West, S. (2001). Gastric tonometry and enteral feeding: a possible conflict in critical care practice. 8th World Congress on Intensive and Critical Care Medicine, : Ads & Adea.
  • West, S. (2001). Nursing physiology: Does it exist?. Stories from the Field 2 Conference, : Ads & Adea.
  • Marshall, A., West, S. (2001). Nutrition in critical illness: Current practice and future research directions. 2nd ACCCN Institute of Continuing Education (ICE) Conference, : World Scientific Publishing.
  • Bredemeyer, S., West, S. (2001). The effects of body position on oxygenation, frequency of apnoea and enteral feeding patterns in the preterm infant. 4th International Neonatal Nursing Conference, : Ads & Adea.

2012

  • Mapedzahama, V., Rudge, T., West, S., Perron, A. (2012). Black nurse in white space? Rethinking the in/visibility of race within the Australian nursing workplace. Nursing Inquiry, 19(2), 153-164.
  • West, S., Rudge, T., Mapedzahama, V. (2012). Nurses' & Midwives' Nightwork Study Report. Sydney: University of Sydney.
  • West, S., Mapedzahama, V., Ahern, M., Rudge, T. (2012). Rethinking shiftwork: mid-life nurses making it work. Nursing Inquiry.
  • Rudge, T., Mapedzahama, V., West, S., Perron, A. (2012). The Violence of Tolerance in a Multicultural Workplace: Examples from Nursing. In David Homes, Trudy Rudge, Amelie Perron (Eds.), (Re)Thinking Violence in Health Care Settings: A Critical Approach, (pp. 31-46). Farnham, UK: Ashgate.
  • Gullick, J., West, S. (2012). Uncovering the common ground in qualitative inquiry: Combining quality improvement and phenomenology in clinical nursing research. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 25(6), 532-548.

2011

  • Malouf, N., West, S. (2011). Fitting in: A pervasive new graduate nurse need. Nurse Education Today, 31(5), 488-493.
  • Marshall, A., West, S., Aitken, L. (2011). Preferred Information Sources for Clinical Decision Making: Critical Care Nurses' Perceptions of Information Accessibility and Usefulness. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 8(4), 224-235.
  • Mapedzahama, V., Rudge, T., West, S., Perron, A. (2011). Racial/ised Visibility and Problematised Difference in Australian Workplaces: The case of skilled black African migrant nurses. 2011 Australian Critical Race and Whiteness Studies Association (ACRWSA): Directions and Intersections Conference, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia: Australian Critical Race and Whiteness Studies Association.

2010

  • Thornley, T., West, S. (2010). Concept formation: a supportive process for early career nurses. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 19(17-18), 2574-2579.
  • Ward, M., West, S., Peat, M., Atkinson, S. (2010). Making it Real: Project Managing Strategic e-Learning Development Processes in a Large, Campus-Based University. Journal of Distance Education, 24(1), 21-42.

2009

  • West, S., Boughton, M., Byrnes, M. (2009). Juggling multiple temporalities: the shift work story of mid-life nurses. Journal of Nursing Management, 17(1), 110-119.
  • Shorten, A., Shorten, B., West, S. (2009). Preparing Consumers for Shared Decisions: Analysing the Effectiveness of a Decision-Aid for Women Making Choices about Birth after Caesarean. In Denis Murphy and Danielle Longo (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Psychology of Decision Making. New York: Nova Science Publishers.
  • Harris, L., Lewis, M., West, S., Driscoll, P., Brown, L. (2009). Student experience in combined and accelerated Master level programs. 32nd Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia Annual Conference HERDSA 2009, Australia: Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia.

2008

  • Ward, M., West, S. (2008). Blogging PhD Candidature: Revealing the Pedagogy. The International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society, 6(1), 60-71.
  • West, S. (2008). Shift-work: Nursing's sometimes silent partner. Collegian, 15(2), 43-44.

2007

  • West, S., Ahern, M., Byrnes, M., Kwanten, L. (2007). New graduate nurse adaptation to shift work: Can we help? Collegian, 14(1), 23-30.
  • Shorten, A., Shorten, B., West, S. (2007). Preparing Consumers for Shared Decisions: Analysing the effectiveness of a decision-aid for women making choices about birth after caesarean. In Elizabeth P Blakely (Eds.), Psychology of Decision Making in Health Care, (pp. 73-104). New York, United States of America: Nova Science Publishers.
  • Long, J., West, S. (2007). Returning to nursing after a career break:elements of successful re-entry. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 25(1), 49-55.

2006

  • Marshall, A., West, S. (2006). Enteral feeding in the critically ill: Are nursing practices contributing to hypocaloric feeding? Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 22(2), 95-105.
  • Green, J., Maw, M., West, S. (2006). Integrated clinical experience:perspective of final year preregistration nursing. Australian Nurse Teachers Society Conference.
  • Freeman, L., Adair, V., Timperley, H., West, S. (2006). The influence of the birthplace and models of care on midwifery practice for the management of women in labour. Women and Birth, 19(4), 97-105.

2005

  • Shorten, A., Shorten, B., Keogh, J., West, S., Morris, J. (2005). Making choices for childbirth: A randomized controlled trial of a decision-aid for informed birth after cesarean. Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care, 32(4), 252-261.

2004

  • Marshall, A., West, S. (2004). Gastric Tonometry And Monitoring Gastrointestinal Perfusion: Using Research To Support Nursing Practice. Nursing in Critical Care, 9(3), 123-133.
  • Marshall, A., West, S. (2004). Nutrional Intake In The Critical Ill: Improving Practice Through Research. Australian Critical Care, 17(1), 6-15.

2003

  • Marshall, A., West, S. (2003). Gastric tonometry and enteral nutrition: a possible conflict in critical care nursing practice. American Journal Of Critical Care, 12(4), 349-356.

2002

  • West, S. (2002). Developing a major research project, where can it lead?. Garvan Institute Nursing Research Symposium 2002: Evidence Based Practice: Research, Relevance, Reality, : British Medical Journal Publishing Group.
  • Thadakant, S., West, S., Allnutt, S., Boontong, T. (2002). Exploring the effect of health care structure on midwifery practice in Thailand. College of Health Sciences Research Conference: From Cell to Society 3, Sydney: University of Sydney.
  • Matheson, A., West, S. (2002). The ignored connection: nursing and shiftwork. Inaugural Postgraduate Nursing Research Conference, Melbourne: University of Melbourne.

2001

  • Marshall, A., West, S. (2001). Gastric tonometry and enteral feeding: a possible conflict in critical care practice. 8th World Congress on Intensive and Critical Care Medicine, : Ads & Adea.
  • West, S. (2001). Nursing physiology: Does it exist?. Stories from the Field 2 Conference, : Ads & Adea.
  • Marshall, A., West, S. (2001). Nutrition in critical illness: Current practice and future research directions. 2nd ACCCN Institute of Continuing Education (ICE) Conference, : World Scientific Publishing.
  • Bennett, L., West, S., Wiles, V., van, L., Grasso, J. (2001). Patient falls from bed and the role of bedrails in the acute care setting. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 19, 8-13.
  • Mullavey-O'Byrne, C., West, S. (2001). Practising Without Certainty: Providing Health Care in an Uncertain World. In J. Higgs and A. Titchen (Eds.), Professional Practice in Health, Education and the Creative Arts, (pp. 49-61). United States: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.
  • West, S. (2001). Shiftwork and you!. Collegian, 8(4), 15-21.
  • Bredemeyer, S., West, S. (2001). The effects of body position on oxygenation, frequency of apnoea and enteral feeding patterns in the preterm infant. 4th International Neonatal Nursing Conference, : Ads & Adea.
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Keywords

Organisation of nursing work; Shift work; Night work; Nursing; Health services management

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