Rate My Professor Lucinda Mithen

Lucinda Mithen serves as a Lecturer in the School of Nursing and Midwifery within the College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing at the University of Newcastle. She holds a Master of Nursing (Advanced Practice) from the University of Newcastle and is a PhD candidate whose thesis, titled 'Measuring the occupational stress of Australian emergency department nurses: a cross-sectional study,' was completed in 2025. Mithen brings over 17 years of clinical experience as a full-time Registered Nurse and Clinical Nurse Specialist in emergency departments across multiple Australian health districts. Her roles have included Trauma Case Manager at St George Hospital (2006-2007), Clinical Nurse Specialist Grade 2 at St George Hospital Emergency Department (2005-2010), and various positions in Hunter New England Local Health District (2010-2016), such as in the Emergency Department, Emergency Short Stay Unit, and Medical Assessment and Coordination Unit. Before transitioning to full-time academia, she worked as a Clinical Liaison Facilitator (2016-2017), managing third-year nursing students' clinical placements, and as a Clinical Facilitator (2011-2016), teaching undergraduate nursing skills, high-fidelity simulation, and assessing competencies.

Mithen's academic interests and research specializations focus on the wellbeing of Australia's nursing workforce, particularly measuring occupational stress, burnout, and fatigue in emergency nurses using biomarkers and psychometric tools, as well as developing organizational support strategies. Her key publications include 'Feasibility of biomarkers to measure stress, burnout and fatigue in emergency nurses: a cross-sectional study' (BMJ Open, 2023; co-authors: Weaver N, Walker FR, Inder KJ) and 'Impact of infection prevention and control practices, including personal protective equipment, on the prevalence of hospital-acquired infections in acute care hospitals during COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis' (Journal of Hospital Infection, 2024; co-authors: Teus JK, Green H, Hutton A, Fernandez R). She also co-authored a conference paper, 'Enhancing Patient Safety: Leveraging COVID-19 Lessons to reduce Hospital acquired Infections' (2025; co-author: Fernandez R). Mithen has received the College of Emergency Nursing Australasia New Investigator Research Grant ($4,000, 2022) and the Lions Nurses Scholarship Foundation funding ($3,000, 2018). Her work highlights nurses' unique resilience and seeks innovative stress management approaches for healthcare organizations.