Nursing and Teaching: Power, knowledge and discourse - Pam Foster

Bachelor of Nursing lecturer Pam Foster completed her Doctor of Health Science programme through Auckland University of Technology in 2020. Her title, “What undergraduate nurse education actually teaches student nurses about people named as older: A Foucauldian discourse analysis” refers to her interest in the interface between teaching and nursing students’ career intentions. 

Pam has published her findings in different media, including her findings related to a prevalent medical discourse which positions older people in terms of loss of function and increased dependence, and associated ageist and paternalistic practices suggesting older people are treated differently to younger people in healthcare delivery. 

Pam says that an immediate and sustained outcome of her doctoral research has been the way she talks to her students about the need to challenge ageist assumptions in their own practice, and in the teams they join for work experience placements. 

She is also an advocate for textbooks and learning resources which champion counter-stereotypic accounts of older adults.

Pam has a number of ongoing research interests related to nursing teaching, and enjoys being part of collaborative projects – with colleagues from Toi Ohomai as well as other bachelor of Nursing providers.

Recent publications include:

Heath, S., Hudson, S., Abd Aziz, N., Crawford, R., Taylor, P., Kabbar, E., Solomon, B., Foster, P., Munro, V., Page, M., Rogalin-Henderson, M., Mall, R., Johnson, S., Groube, J., Grogan, A., Adesina, C., Soper, F., Eleno, M., Phillips, J., & Topp, M. (2024). Aotearoa New Zealand student nurses' perceptions of working in aged care: August 2024 [Report]. Unitec ePress Research Report Series (2/2024). 

Foster, P., Honeyfield, J., Proverbs, A., & Sims, D. (2023). Missed opportunities: exploring third-year student nurses' clinical experiences in aged residential care. Scope: Health and Wellbeing, 8, 80-88. 

Honeyfield, J., Sims, D., Foster, P., Proverbs, A., & Akhtaruzzaman, M. (2023). The dichotomy between final year undergraduate New Zealand nursing students’ reports of learning and their practice intentions in aged residential care: challenges and surprises. In International Academic Forum(Eds.), The Asian Conference on Education & International Development 2023 Official Conference Proceedings (pp.9-25). Tokyo, Japan: ACEID2023.