Dr Lynette Bowen

Dr Lynette Bowen is a registered nurse and lecturer with the University of Newcastle’s School of Nursing and Midwifery, based at the University’s Port Macquarie campus. Her research is focused on infection prevention and control using qualitative and mixed method designs through collaborative clinical partnerships. Her research interests also extend to teaching approaches, undergraduate nursing student experiences and other clinical situations.

Prior to her academic appointment, Dr Bowen worked with the North Coast Area Health Service as the Nurse Educator for Port Macquarie Base Hospital. In this capacity, she gained extensive experience in clinical education. She also worked as a Clinical Nurse Consultant in infection prevention and control. Both roles provided a strong foundation for Dr Bowen’s future research interests in these areas, leading her to complete a PhD in 2015.

Research: Dr Bowen’s doctoral research explored the experiences of registered nurses as they mentored undergraduate nursing students in a rural context. This research area grew out of Dr Bowen’s commitment to hands-on educational opportunities for students, and a firmly held belief in the power of education and clinical practice to complement and strengthen each other. 

Dr Bowen has experience creating mixed method research designs and implementing qualitative research projects. In 2014, she led a study that examined the effects of Talking Circles on the experiences of first-year university students. More recently, Dr Bowen has worked on a first-of-its-kind study into the emerging concept of surgical conscience and worked as co-investigator for a project exploring the under-researched notion of asepsis (bacteria-free environments). Dr Bowen has also researched the use of e-portfolios to facilitate work integrated learning (WIL) in construction and nursing disciplines and has written and reviewed literature within these topics. Across all her research endeavours, Dr Bowen is committed to collaborative studies that combine clinical and research knowledge, and support both existing and future health professionals.

Teaching: Dr Bowen brings more than 30 years of teaching experience to her role with the University of Newcastle. With expertise in clinical and university teaching, she provides invaluable expertise for the University’s undergraduate courses, using face-to-face, blended and online modes. She also contributes to course design and development, especially in the area of infection control and prevention, and teaches into the University’s postgraduate infection control course.