ECU School of Nursing and Midwifery PhD Scholarship - REALISM - Intervention for Older Adults with Chronic Conditions

Comorbidity is one of the greatest challenges for age-related health care with over 80% of adults aged 65 years and older having at least one chronic condition and 68% with two or more. The REALISM intervention has been developed based on the Baltes and Baltes Model of Selective Optimization with Compensation (SOC) (Donnellan et al. 2012; Donnellan and O’Neill, 2014) to determine whether it improves disease associated health outcomes, reablement and independence in older adults with two or more chronic diseases.

The focus of this PhD scholarship is to develop and examine the REALISM intervention in the context of older adults with co- and multimorbidity living in home and/or residential long-term care settings. This PhD project will include initial feasibility and preparation work for defining the REALISM intervention for use in older adults with chronic conditions using intervention mapping steps. The aim of the REALISM intervention is to provide older adults, their caregivers and healthcare providers with a training programme on managing short- and long-term challenges because of chronic conditions (e.g., hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, arthritis, ischaemic heart disease) using a goal setting and attainment plan based on the adaptive strategies selection, optimisation, and compensation.

To be eligible for this scholarship you must;

• Have completed a nursing or midwifery bachelor’s degree with first- or second-class honours and/or a master’s degree with a research component or equivalent from a recognised university.
• Have up-to-date registration with AHPRA.

• Evidence of excellent interpersonal, communication and scientific writing skills
• Evidence of research level English language proficiency (international, where applicable)
• Have relevant experience in quantitative (e.g., SPSS and/or R or equivalent) and/or qualitative (NVIVO) analysis
• Have relevant experience working in either age-related and/or in community and primary healthcare settings
• Have knowledge or a keen interest in psychological health and gerontology.
• A strong teamwork ethic and good understanding for overall project intellectual sharing and confidentiality.

• Please email your CV, academic transcripts and an expression of interest outlining your motivation for applying for this scholarship in 500 words (+/- 10%) to c.donnellan@ecu.edu.au

Applicants will be shortlisted for an in-person interview which will be held in July.

For questions about this scholarship and informal enquiries please email Professor Claire Donnellan at c.donnellan@ecu.edu.au