Teaching Strengths
Dr Kevin O'Shaughnessy
Program Director: Simulation Teaching & Learning
School of Nursing and Midwifery
College of Health
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.
Dr Peter ‘Kevin’ O’Shaughnessy is the Program Director: Simulation Teaching and Learning. Within this role, he is responsible for providing academic and clinical leadership in the planning, management, development, quality assurance and delivery of authentic clinical teaching and learning experiences through simulation and innovative work-integrated learning. He leads and coordinates the team of clinical academics, teaching staff and technicians across the three (3) campus sites developing, maintaining and improving the delivery of authentic clinical teaching, learning experiences and assessment through simulation.
Teaching Background: Dr O'Shaughnessy has over 17 years experience in course coordination and teaching within Clinical Health Sciences/Nursing at the University of South Australia.
Nursing Background: As the Program Director: Simulation Teaching and Learning he brings a wealth of experience from his distinguished career as a Clinical Nurse, with a particular expertise in Emergency Department care. His background encompasses extensive nursing, operational, public health and administrative knowledge.
Research: Kevin's research currently involves:
leading the ACHIEVE project: exploring how how health care students can be empowered to facilitate difficult conversations around challenging and sensitive issues such as dementia, cancer, loss, grief and end of life care.
an exploration of the role loneliness and isolation play in the lives of cancer survivors.
the supportive care needs of prostate cancer survivors and those people that love and care for them.
exploring how to address the needs of Australian prostate cancer survivors from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Projects:
Dr O'Shaughnessy leads the ACHIEVE Project: a community approach to improve simulation and resources that prepare undergraduate Health Science students manage difficult conversations about dementia, cancer, grief, fertility, loss and end-of-life care.
Dr King-Okoye and Dr O'Shaughnessy are exploring innovative approaches to address the needs of Australian prostate cancer survivors from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Special achievements: UniSA Teaching and Learning Unstoppable Grant (2024), UniSA Slingshot grant (2024), UniSA Accelerator publishing grant (2024), Completed the TREK research program (2024), Awarded the UniSA School of Nursing and Midwifery Pathfinder travel grant (2018), Completed PhD program, Division of Health Sciences, University of South Australia (2016); Invited to and participated in, the Australian and Asia Pacific Oncology Research Development ACORD workshop Sunshine Coast, Queensland (2012); Chancellors Merit List, University of South Australia (2004); Deans Merit List, Division of Health Sciences, University of South Australia (2004); Short listed for St. Andrews Scholarship (2004)
Research groups: Rosemary Bryant Research Centre; Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA)
Reviewer: Kevin is a reviewer for the journals; Clinical Simulation in Nursing™ Psychosocial oncology™ Cancer Nursing™ American Journal of Men's Health™ BMC Urology™ Contemporary Nurse™
Peter 'Kevin' O'Shaughnessy is an Australian nursing academic, researcher and clinical educator whose work focuses on simulation-based teaching and learning, supportive cancer care, men’s health and care of an ageing population. He is Program Director: Simulation Teaching and Learning within the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Adelaide University, where he leads the development of authentic clinical simulation and work-integrated learning programs for health students.
His earlier research centred on the experiences of prostate cancer survivors and their partners, particularly the long-term psychosocial and supportive care needs associated with diagnosis, treatment and survivorship. His PhD research explored “The prostate cancer journey,” examining how men and their families experience treatment, recovery, sexuality, emotional wellbeing, and ongoing support needs after prostate cancer.
Key contributions from this body of work include:
- investigating the long-term experiences of Australian men following prostatectomy, including impacts on identity, intimacy and quality of life;
- comparing patient-reported outcomes between robotic and open prostatectomy surgery;
- exploring supportive care, loneliness, isolation and psychosocial adjustment among cancer survivors and their partners;
- examining the experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse prostate cancer survivors in Australia.
More recently, his research has expanded into simulation pedagogy and emotionally challenging healthcare communication. He leads the ACHIEVE Project, a community-informed initiative designed to improve how undergraduate health science students learn to manage difficult conversations relating to dementia, cancer, fertility, grief, loss and end-of-life care. The project aims to incorporate co-designed educational resources, and authentic clinical scenarios to help students develop confidence, empathy and communication skills in sensitive clinical situations.
The ACHIEVE Project aligns closely with his broader educational leadership in simulation-based learning, where he has focused on creating realistic, psychologically safe clinical learning environments that prepare students for emotionally complex practice. Related work has included interprofessional simulation education, debriefing practices, and innovative teaching approaches across nursing, midwifery and health disciplines more broadly.
Dr O’Shaughnessy is also affiliated with the Rosemary Bryant Research Centre and Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA) research groups, and has contributed as a reviewer for journals in Emergency nursing, urology, oncology, men’s health, psychosocial oncology and clinical simulation.
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2020 | Burli, S., Goodman, J., Kostapanos, M., & O'Shaughnessy, K. M. (2020). Investigation of the Impact of Germ Line Variation in the K Channel Kcnj5 on the Renin-angiotensin Axis and Aldosterone Release in Human Subjects (linked). In CIRCULATION RESEARCH Vol. 127 (pp. 2 pages). ELECTR NETWORK: LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS. DOI |
| 2019 | O'Shaughnessy, P. K. (2019). Emotional care needs of prostate cancer survivors and their partners: What do we know?. In ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY Vol. 15 (pp. 58). WILEY. |
| 2019 | Rawlings, L., O'Shaughnessy, P., & Robson, S. (2019). Potentially Preventable Mortality in Young Australian Women, 2001 to 2016. In AUSTRALIAN & NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY Vol. 59 (pp. 13). WILEY. |
| 2017 | Gonzalez-Zuniga, D., O'Shaughnessy, P., & Blix, M. (2017). Hypertextual Reality: VR on the Web. In 2017 IEEE VIRTUAL REALITY (VR) (pp. 427-428). CA, Los Angeles: IEEE COMPUTER SOC. |
| 2013 | O'Shaughnessy, P., Laws, T., Pinnock, C., Moul, J., & Esterman, A. (2013). Differences in self-reported outcomes of open prostatectomy patients and robotic prostatectomy patients in an international web-based survey. In BJU INTERNATIONAL Vol. 112 (pp. 32). WILEY-BLACKWELL. |
| 2013 | O'Shaughnessy, K., Ireland, C., Pelentsov, L., Laws, T., & Esterman, A. (2013). IMPAIRED SEXUAL FUNCTION AND PROSTATE CANCER; A MIXED METHOD INVESTIGATION INTO THE EXPERIENCES OF MEN AND THEIR PARTNERS. In ASIA-PACIFIC JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY Vol. 9 (pp. 115). WILEY-BLACKWELL. |
ACHIEVE Project, a community-informed initiative designed to improve how undergraduate health science students learn to manage difficult conversations relating to dementia, cancer, fertility, grief, loss and end-of-life care.
Courses I teach
Program Director for Simulation Teaching and Learning within the School of Nursing and Midwifery
| Date | Role | Research Topic | Program | Degree Type | Student Load | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Co-Supervisor | Sleep of people living with a diabetes-related foot wound | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Mr Aaron Farquharson |
| 2024 | Co-Supervisor | Standardised Incident Prevention and Response for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises | Doctor of Philosophy | Doctorate | Part Time | Miss Josephine Michalek |
Connect With Me
External Profiles
Available For Media Comment.