Dr. Carrie O Reilly

Biography

My personal philosophy of teaching is rooted in the foundations of the nursing theory that underpinned my own nursing education, Nursing for the Whole Person Theory. Within this theory nursing is defined as a goal-directed service to assist the individual, the family, and/or the community to promote, maintain, and restore health. The individual is defined as a spiritual being who functions in an integrated biopsychosocial manner to achieve his quest for wholeness. The basic principle of nurse development is contained in a very simple conceptual proposition, that as the nurse continues the quest for personal wholeness, she or he contributes to the wholeness of others. The primary goal of nursing education, and therefore educators, should then be to help the developing nurse move along their journey toward personal wholeness of mind, of body, and of spirit. I believe that every individual who chooses nursing as a life path is on a journey of self-discovery, self-enlightenment, self-empowerment, and selfless devotion to the wellness of others. I view my role as a guidance tool to share significant experience, provide encouragement, direct energies, sift information, prod memory, validate self-belief, and promote respect for inter- and intrapersonal accomplishments. Evaluations of this role comes in many guises but primarily as nursing students successfully move from the role of student to novice practitioner or experienced practitioner to novice educator.

Research Interest

Nursing Legacy Nursing Theory Development Outcomes Research