Rate My Professor Jason Watterson

Dr. Jason Watterson serves as Head of the Department of Nursing in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at La Trobe University. He holds the position of Senior Lecturer in Nursing and has been appointed Associate Dean Academic within the School of Nursing and Midwifery. With more than 30 years of experience in intensive care nursing, Dr. Watterson has worked in diverse clinical, clinical education, and management roles. He earned his PhD from Monash University, where his thesis examined alcohol harm reduction strategies in the Royal Australian Navy. Previously, he was a PhD student at the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, and served as Lecturer Practitioner and ICU Postgraduate Coordinator for the Master of Nursing (Intensive Care) program jointly offered by The Alfred Hospital and La Trobe University. Dr. Watterson also held positions in the Department of Intensive Care and Hyperbaric Medicine at The Alfred Hospital.

Dr. Watterson's research interests encompass education, workforce dynamics, and leadership in clinical and military contexts, with particular emphasis on intensive care, critical care, simulation training, education, and military applications. His scholarly contributions include co-authorship on several key publications, such as 'The impact of nursing workforce skill-mix on patient outcomes in intensive care units in Victoria, Australia' (2024), 'An exploration of intensive care nurses' perceptions of workload' (2024), 'Nursing workload and patient-focused outcomes in intensive care: A systematic review' (2023), 'Nursing workforce deployment and intensive care unit strain during the COVID-19 pandemic in Victoria, Australia' (2023), and 'Nursing workforce, education, and training challenges to implementing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation services in Australian intensive care units: A qualitative sub-study' (2022). Additional works address intensive care unit nurses' perceptions of debriefing after critical incidents and the relationship between nursing skill mix and patient severity. His research has garnered over 200 citations, influencing discussions on optimal nursing staffing and patient safety in critical care environments. Dr. Watterson contributed to studies during his Royal Australian Navy service as Lieutenant Commander, including investigations into aural barotrauma in ADF diver trainees.