Academic staff
Sarah Rhynas
Teaching Fellow
Nursing Studies
+44 (0) 131 650 3882
Room 2.11 School of Health in Social Science, The Medical School (Doorway 6) Teviot Place
Outline Biography
I graduated in nursing from Edinburgh University in 1998 and worked as a staff nurse in Medicine for the Elderly and Acute Medicine at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. I also enjoyed a variety of voluntary sector experiences, helping to manage and run services supporting frail older people and specialist day care for those living with dementia.
I completed an MSc by research part time while working as a senior staff nurse in Acute Medicine. Thereafter I embarked on PhD work, pursuing my interests in the nursing care of people living with dementia.
Research Interests
My research interests focus on the nursing care of older people, sociological approaches in nursing research and the nursing care of those living with dementia. I am also interested in the nursing care of those who are dependent on alcohol and in the long term support of those with alcohol related brain damage (ARBD). Prevention of alcohol related harm has become a major Scottish Government priority and ARBD is an often neglected aspect of this work. My interests include the use of dementia care strategies in support of ARBD patients, including individuals in research about their care and care needs, innovative approaches to data collection with this group and long term service development.
PhD work explored nurses' conceptualisation of dementia and how these conceptualisations shape nursing practice.
Research activity
Older people's project - secondary data analysis of video and audio data from 2 previous studies. Bringing together ideas about care and connection over the space of 3 decades. Project run by Prof. Pam Smith & Dr Marion Smith.
Supervision & mentoring of PhD students completing work on (1) indigenous ageing populations in Canada, (2) palliative and end of life care of people with dementia in residential care.
I would particularly welcome applications from potential PhD students who are interested in qualitative and sociological approaches to nursing research, nursing care of older people in hospitals, care of those living with dementia, post diagnostic support of and care planning with older people with dementia and their families, alcohol related brain damage (ARBD) care, support and service development.
Publications
Publications list for Sarah Rhynas
Supervision
Projects supervised by Sarah Rhynas
Teaching
- BN (Hons) - Management of Transitions – Course Organiser, Research & Inquiry - qualitative methods, Healthy Communities and Health & Society - sessions on ageing, qualitative research methods, Course Organiser for second year of the BN programme.
- Dementia and Care of Older Person teaching throughout the Undergraduate Programme.
- MSc Dementia - teaching and student supervision
- Post graduate supervision related to nursing older people & qualitative research methods
This article was published on Dec 8, 2010