Duhn | School of Nursing | Queen's University

Dr. Lenora Duhn PhD, RN

Position(s)

Associate Professor

Contact Information

613-533-6000 ext. 78574

Teaching

I worked over 23 years in an acute care teaching hospital affiliated with Queen’s University and during that time my teaching experience included interacting with: adult patients as they learned new treatments or approaches to care; healthcare professionals as they reviewed and critiqued best evidence to ensure best practice; and undergraduate and graduate Nursing students as they studied a range of topics related to clinical practice and leadership. As the Director Nursing Education, I collaborated with clinical educators in the development of practice learning guides for practitioners, as well as educational materials for patients and their families. My work has also included the mentorship and support of those applying for and completing Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) Advanced/Practice Clinical Fellowships.

I have come to understand and appreciate that teaching is not one sided on the part of the learner, but rather, if effective, generates learning by both teacher and learner. Their questions and perspectives have so often made me reflect anew, gaining in unanticipated ways. I welcome a shared approach to learning, and I believe students should be encouraged to work with and learn from each other. Further, the learning environment must be such that learners feel safe and comfortable, and have access to the necessary educational tools to support their learning. I hope that those who learn with and from me feel free to ask questions and seek guidance, that their curiosity is fueled, and that they feel supported and find enjoyment in the learning experience.

I joined Queen’s School of Nursing in January 2016, and I teach in the undergraduate Nursing program (Nursing 370) and the Master of Science in Healthcare Quality (HQRS 840: Introduction to Quality, Risk and Safety).

Research

My interest in research was ignited at the undergraduate level and it has continued to evolve. As part of the research process, it has always been important to me to ask the ‘so what’ question – if I do this research, what will it mean; will it be relevant and applicable. Mentorship and collaborations have been key in helping me develop as a researcher and establish a research direction, and I hope to offer the same to beginning researchers. I remain intrigued by the process of discovery and enjoy its challenge: “Research is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.” (Albert Szent-Gyorgyi).

My program of research is titled, “Nursing Beneficence: Nursing Research for the Health Benefit of People in an Acute Care Environment”. Nursing beneficence is the conceptual underpinning for the program and the research themes are: ‘Safeguarding’; ‘Retention’; and ‘Facilitating Work’ (such as the use of innovative technology). Its fundamental premise is: To benefit nurses, and nursing to benefit patients. The program is focused on exploration, identification and testing of positive ‘enablers’ for nurses in the care they provide, within the environment they practise. The action-oriented focus of beneficence guides the program’s intent in that it seeks to create knowledge about ‘ways of doing’ in health services, framed with a Nursing lens. While studies are aligned within these themes, there is acknowledgement of the interconnectedness between them and examination of this is also an area of interest. An example of the focus of my work within the Safeguarding theme is Patient Engagement in Patient Safety, which was the topic of my doctoral dissertation. My projects are aligned with the Queen’s Nursing and Health Research cluster of Health Care Quality.

Service

For those interested in applying for and needing mentorship for Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) Advanced/Practice Clinical Fellowship applications, I provide support as requested.

Team