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Dr. Lorraine Thirsk

Program Director, Master of Health Studies & Master of Nursing - Generalist; Associate Professor

Contact information

E-mail: lthirsk@athabascau.ca

Current courses

  • MHST 609: Trends and Issues
  • MHST 611: Dissemination Strategies
  • NURS 437: Professional Practice in Family and Community Health Promotion
  • NURS 609: Trends and Issues
  • NURS 611: Dissemination Strategies

Dr. Lorraine Thirsk

Dr. Lorraine Thirsk

Program Director, Master of Health Studies & Master of Nursing - Generalist; Associate Professor

Contact information

Email: lthirsk@athabascau.ca

Phone:

Dr. Lorraine Thirsk is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Health Disciplines of Athabasca University. Her research aims to reduce suffering and improve quality of life for families living with health challenges by improving nurses' relational practices and competencies in therapeutic conversations. This work currently focuses on how cognitive and implicit biases impact nurse-patient relationships, therapeutic communication, and clinical judgment.

Dr. Thirsk completed her graduate education at the University of Calgary with a focus on advanced practice in Family Systems Nursing, and her work continues to be influenced by the Calgary Family Assessment and Calgary Family Intervention Models. She works with international collaborators, through the International Family Nursing Association, to advance knowledge about families and illness, and nursing practices. She joined the Faculty of Health Disciplines at Athabasca University in 2019.

*Currently accepting masters students interested in thesis work related to critical care nursing quality, family nursing, nurses' role in psychosocial interventions and mental health, palliative care, or rural and remote nursing practice; using pilot surveys, secondary data, natural language processing, or systematic review methods.

Discover my research

Research interests

  • Family nursing
  • Nursing interventions
  • Cognitive bias
  • Clinical judgment

Educational credentials

  • BScN (2000)
  • MN (2005)
  • PhD (2009)

Professional affiliations

  • College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta
  • International Family Nursing Association
  • Sigma Theta Tau International (Phi Gamma virtual chapter)

  • Bryan, V., Corcoran, L., Dewart, G., & Thirsk, L.M. (2022). Clinical learning during the pandemic: Experiences of LPN-BN undergraduate nursing students. Journal of Professional Nursing, 42, 301-307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2022.07.020
  • Thirsk, L.M., Stahlke, S., Bryan, V., Dewart, G., Corcoran, L. (2022). Lessons learned from clinical course design in the pandemic: Pedagogical implications from a qualitative analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing [early online]. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15409
  • Thirsk, L.M., Hagtvedt, R., Bryan, V., Corcoran, L., Dewart, G., Stahlke, S. (2022). Effect of online versus in-person clinical experiences on nursing student's competency development: A cross-sectional, quasi-experimental design. Nurse Education Today, 117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2022.105461
  • Thirsk, L.M., Panchuk, J., Stahlke, S., & Hagtvedt, R. (2022). Cognitive and implicit bias in nurses’ judgment and decision-making: a scoping review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2022.104284
  • Thirsk, L.M., Stahlke, S., Perry, B., & Gordon, B. (2022). #Morethanavisitor: Experiences of COVID-19 visitor restrictions in Canadian long-term care facilities. Family Relations. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12712
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