Rachael Vernon

Teaching Strengths

Curriculum & Course Development
Research Supervison
Peer Assessment & Review
Knowledge Translation
Assessment & Diagnostic Reasoning

Prof Rachael Vernon

Dean, School of Nursing and Midwifery

School of Nursing and Midwifery

College of Health

Professor Rachael Vernon is Professor of Nursing and Dean of Programs (Nursing & Midwifery) at the University of South Australia.  Rachael leads the academic portfolio of Nursing and Midwifery programs in UniSA Clinical and Health Sciences and is committed to the development and delivery of high-quality academic programs and graduates.  During her career Rachael has held senior leadership roles in nursing education, research and policy, health management, and clinical practice. She is an experienced academic leader as demonstrated through her positions as Head of School Nursing and Midwifery at the University of South Australia and Head of School Nursing at the Eastern Institute of Technology (NZ). 
Rachael has achieved professional distinction through her contribution to the professional nursing scene in Australia, New Zealand and internationally and has led debate about the standards required for nursing education, competence to practise, and the accreditation and regulatory mechanisms (for health professions) that are required to protect the public. 
In 2011, Rachael was awarded the prestigious Fulbright (NZ) Senior Scholar Award for research, the first New Zealand nurse in 33 years to be awarded this honour.  Rachael’s research portfolio includes studies examining the efficacy of the nursing education and regulatory frameworks in New Zealand, Australia and internationally.  Through these works she has won significant research grants and worked with nursing education institutions, government and regulatory authorities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and the Pacific Islands.  In her capacity as Professor of Nursing, Rachael is an active member of the UniSA Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Research and Education Concentration and is committed to practical and agile engagement with industry and the health professions; developing versatile high-quality graduates; undertaking research that translates into successful healthcare strategies, policy and practice; and generating new knowledge that contributes to a healthier society. 

Competitive Grant: Investigation and development of a regional stroke coordinator role for South Australia. The Hospital Research Foundation - 2019 Regional Health Network Grant Round.  (CIA - Sharrad, S., CID Vernon, R., Gilbert, S., Gibson, T. & Evans, D.).

Competitive Grant: Recency of Practice Literature Review. Australiand Health Practitoner Regulation Agency / Nursing & Midwifery Board of Australia. (CI - Vernon, R., Chiarella, M., Eckert, M., Sharplin, G., Peters, M., Kennedy, K.).

Competitive Grant: Evaluation of a Nursing and Midwifery Professional Practice Framework to facilitate person centred care in South Australia. South Australia Health. (CI - Gibson, T., Brown, J. & Vernon, R.).  

Competitive Grant: Can competence be assured? National Council of State Boards of Nursing (USA) Centre for Regulatory Excellence, (CI - Vernon, R., Co-researchers Chiarella, M. & Papps, E.).

Competitive Grant: Compassion.  Category 3 funding grant, Nurses Memorial Research Grant – Nurses Memorial Foundation of SA Inc, (CI - Hofmeyer, A., Co-researchers - Toffoli, L. & Vernon, R.).

Competitive Grant: Perineal Wound Care Study. Wound Management Innovation CRC, (CI – Steen, M., Co-researchers - Esterman, A, Vernon, R., Grech, C., Newman, E., McKellar, L.).

Competitive Grant (UniSA): Implementation and evaluation of a shared clinical facilitation model for midwifery students.  UniSA Learning and Teaching Development Grant, (CI - McKellar, L., Co-researchers - Vernon, R. & Fleet, J.).

Year Citation
2025 Simpson, N., Vernon, R. A., Briley, A. L., Esterman, A. J., & Steen, M. (2025). Evaluating the effectiveness of a conflict resolution and resilience building bespoke educational workshop for South Australia midwifery students: A pre-post measure education study. Midwifery, 147(104436), 8 pages.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1 Europe PMC1
2025 Slattery, M., Grech, C., Vernon, R., & Fereday, J. (2025). Nurse Disciplinary Leadership in Higher Education: A Scoping Review. Journal of Nursing Management, 2025(1), 14 pages.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2025 Fereday, J., Darch, L., Sharplin, G., Vernon, R., Neylon, K., Pead-Ferenczi, G., . . . Eckert, M. (2025). “A game changer” – Educators’ and managers’ perspectives of a Clinical Practice Mentor model. Collegian, 32(4), 235-241.
DOI
2025 Steen, M., Othman, S., Fereday, J., Briley, A., Xu, Q., & Vernon, R. (2025). Compassionate self-care for nurses and midwives: A sequential explanatory mixed methods study. Applied Nursing Research, 84, 10 pages.
DOI
2023 Slattery, M., Grech, C., & Vernon, R. (2023). Developing the next generation of nursing disciplinary leaders in higher education: protocol for a sequential mixed methods study. JMIR Research Protocols, 12(e40677), 1-8.
DOI
2023 Simpson, N., Wepa, D., Vernon, R., Briley, A., & Steen, M. (2023). Midwifery students' knowledge, understanding and experiences of workplace bullying, and violence: an integrative review. International Journal of Nursing Studies Advances, 5(100144), 1-17.
DOI
2023 Denton, J., Evans, D., Qunyan, X., & Vernon, R. (2023). Supporting older nurses and midwives in the Australian healthcare workplace: a qualitative descriptive study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 80(5), 2065-2079.
DOI Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC3
2022 Simpson, N., Steen, M., Vernon, R., Briley, A., & Wepa, D. (2022). Developing conflict resolution strategies and building resilient midwifery students: a mixed methods research protocol. JMIR Research Protocols, 11(2, article no. e35558), 1-11.
DOI
2022 Steen, M., Othman, S. M. E., Briley, A., Vernon, R., Hutchinson, S., & Dyer, S. (2022). Self-compassion education for health professionals (nurses and midwives): protocol for a sequential explanatory mixed methods study. JMIR Research Protocol, 11(1), 1-10.
DOI
2021 Javanmard, M., Steen, M., & Vernon, R. (2021). Influence of Self-Compassion on the Health of Midwives and Nurses: Protocol for a Scoping Review. JMIR Research Protocols, 10(3), e21917.
DOI Scopus9 WoS6 Europe PMC9
2021 Javanmard, M., Steen, M., & Vernon, R. (2021). The Influence of self-compassion upon midwives and nurses: a scoping review. Evidence Based Midwifery, 19(3), 16-30.
Scopus9
2020 Javanmard, M., Steen, M., Vernon, R., & Cooper, M. (2020). Transition experiences of internationally qualified midwives practising midwifery in Australia. Women and Birth, 33(3), 1-11.
DOI Scopus11 WoS11 Europe PMC8
2020 Marnie, C., Peters, M. D. J., Forsythe, D., Kennedy, K., Sharplin, G., Eckert, M., . . . Vernon, R. (2020). Recency of practice and the maintenance of professional competence for nurses and midwives: a scoping review protocol. Journal of Law and Medicine, 27(4), 1008-1013.
2019 Chiarella, M., & Vernon, R. (2019). Insights into insight: analysis of case files of nurse and midwife registrant performance complaints. Collegian, 26(3), 341-347.
DOI
2019 Vernon, R., Chiarella, M., Papps, E., & Lark, A. (2019). Assuring competence or ensuring performance. Collegian, 26(3), 399-406.
DOI
2019 Javanmard, M., Steen, M., Vernon, R., & Cooper, M. (2019). Transitional Experiences of Internationally Qualified Midwives Practicing in Australia: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Study. JMIR Research Protocols, 8(6), e13406.
DOI
2018 Javanmard, M., Steen, M., Vernon, R., & Cooper, M. (2018). Transitional experiences of internationally qualified midwives practising in Australia - an e-survey. Evidence Based Midwifery, 16(4), 120-127.
Scopus2
2018 McKellar, L., Fleet, J., Vernon, R., Graham, M. K., & Cooper, M. (2018). Comparison of three clinical facilitation models for midwifery students undertaking clinical placement in south Australia. Nurse Education in Practice, 32, 64-71.
DOI Scopus16 WoS15 Europe PMC11
2018 Vernon, R., Chiarella, M., & Papps, E. (2018). Investigating the relationship between continuing competence and insight in nursing and midwifery practice. Journal of nursing regulation, 9(3), 36-52.
DOI
2018 Hofmeyer, A., Toffoli, L., Vernon, R., Taylor, R., Klopper, H. C., Coetzee, S. K., & Fontaine, D. (2018). Teaching compassionate care to nursing students in a digital learning and teaching environment. Collegian, 25(3), 307-312.
DOI
2017 Kamolo, E., Vernon, R., & Toffoli, L. (2017). A critical review of preceptor development for nurses working with undergraduate nursing students. International journal of caring sciences, 10(2), 1089-1100.
2017 Javanmard, M., Steen, M., Vernon, R., & Newnham, E. (2017). Experiences of internationally qualified midwives and nurses in Australia and other developed nations: a structured literature review. Evidence Based Midwifery, 15(3), 95-100.
Scopus14
2016 Hofmeyer, A., Toffoli, L., Vernon, R., Vernon, R., Fontaine, D., Klopper, H. C., & Knobloch Coetzee, S. (2016). Teaching the practice of compassion to nursing students within an online learning environment: A qualitative study protocol.. Contemporary issues in education research (CIER), 9(4), 201-222.
DOI
2015 Itzhaki, M., Treacy, M., Phaladze, N., Rumeu, C., Vernon, R., Marshall, B., . . . Nelson, J. (2015). Caring International Research Collaborative: A five-country partnership to measure perception of nursing staffs' compassion fatigue, burnout, and caring for self. Interdisciplinary Journal of Partnership Studies, 2(1, article no. 8), 1-20.
2015 Vernon, R., Doole, P., & Reed, C. (2015). Where is the international variation in the protection of the public? commentary on Cutcliffe and Forster (2010). International Journal of Nursing Studies, 49(2), 243-245.
DOI
2014 Vernon, R. (2014). Competent or just confident?. New Zealand Nursing Review, 14(3), 1-3.
2013 Vernon, R., Chiarella, M., & Papps, E. (2013). Assessing the continuing competence of nurses in New Zealand. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 3(4), 19-24.
DOI
2013 Vernon, R., Chiarella, M., Papps, E., & Dignam, D. (2013). New Zealand nurses' perceptions of the continuing competence framework. International Nursing Review, 60(1), 59-66.
DOI
2011 Vernon, R., Chiarella, M., & Papps, E. (2011). Confidence in competence: legislation and nursing in New Zealand. International Nursing Review, 58(1), 103-108.
DOI

  • Perineal Wound Care Project, Wound Management Innovation CRC, 01/02/2016 - 31/12/2017

Programs I'm associated with

  • IBNU - Bachelor of Nursing
  • IMNS - Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner)
  • ICNG - Graduate Certificate in Nursing
  • IMHM - Master of Health Services Management
  • Position: Dean, School of Nursing and Midwifery
  • Email: rachael.vernon@adelaide.edu.au
  • Alternative Contact: Kristy Johns Personal Assistant to Professor Rachael Vernon telephone: +61 8 8302 2490 Email:http://people.unisa.edu.au/Kristy.Johns

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