Congratulations Maria Christidis – new Docent of Nursing
We congratulate Maria Christidis, the Division of Nursing, who is the new Docent of Nursing at NVS.
What does becoming a docent mean to you?
”It means a great deal to me and makes me proud. I see the docentship as recognition of the work I have devoted to research and teaching over many years. It also gives me the opportunity to continue developing academically and to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in nursing, not least through research, teaching and supervising junior researchers”, says Maria Christidis at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society.
What is your research about?
”My research mainly focuses on nursing and education. I am interested in how knowledge and professional competence are developed during education and in clinical practice, and how we can design programmes that best prepare students for complex and changing professions. My research includes academic and professional literacy, critical thinking, motivation, assessment and learning within different professional education programmes. Alongside this, I conduct clinically oriented research, mainly on pain, with a particular focus on person-centred and evidence-based care”.
Why did you choose to research this field?
”It developed naturally from my own background. I trained as a nurse and teacher and earned my doctorate in education. I have therefore long been interested in what is actually required to develop professional competence. In professional education programmes, it is not enough to know individual facts; students also need to learn how to integrate different types of knowledge, make professional judgements, communicate and apply knowledge in their interactions with patients. For me, there is also a clear reciprocal relationship between education and nursing: what happens in education affects how nursing is practised, while experiences and needs in clinical nursing show what needs to be developed in education. It is precisely this interaction that I find both fascinating and important to understand better”.
Briefly about your background
”I am a registered nurse and also have a background as a qualified upper secondary school teacher and educational materials author. I earned my doctorate in education at Stockholm University in 2020. My research focuses on nursing and education. Today, I am a senior lecturer in nursing at Sophiahemmet University and affiliated with Karolinska Institutet”.
How have you celebrated?
”Above all, I have had time to feel very happy and proud about the news and have received many lovely congratulations from colleagues, friends and family. I also feel great gratitude towards all the colleagues and collaborations that have contributed in different ways to my development as a researcher over the years. So far, I have celebrated with princess cake!”