Coombs, Nicole

Position: Lecturer
Discipline: Nursing 
Location: Gippsland Campus, 2W140 
Phone: (03) 5122 8964
Email: n.coombs@federation.edu.au

Qualifications

PhD Candidate – Federation University – 2024

Masters of Nursing – Monash University – 2012

Graduate Certificate Education (Tertiary) – Federation University – 2017

Bachelor of Nursing – Monash University – 2003

Teaching

Courses

• Bachelor of Nursing

Units

• Primary Health 1: Determinants of Health (NURBN1016)
• Primary Health 2: Health Promotion (NURBN2021)
• Primary Health 3: The health and cultural diversity of Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander People (HEALT2114)

Biography

Nicole is an award-winning nursing academic at Federation University- Gippsland campus, with a national teaching citation for her innovative and authentic teaching practices in both primary health and health promotion courses for undergraduate nursing students. Nicole has previous experience as an emergency nurse and is passionate about closing the divide between acute and preventative care, using creative and relatable education practices to motivate and inspire students to be agents of change. Nicole is currently on secondment as Deputy Director- Research in the Collaborative Evaluation and Research Centre (CERC) at Federation University, where she has collaboratively co-led the delivery and evaluation of many community health prevention projects. Nicole also sits on the Victorian committees of both the College of Emergency Nurses Australasia (CENA) and Psi Zeta Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International Honors Society of Nursing. Nicole has recently submitted her PhD thesis on public health messaging by emergency nurses during disasters in Australia.

Areas of expertise

Nicole is passionate about teaching nursing students that there is more to nursing than just clinical skills. Although good skills are paramount for patient safety and evidence-based health outcomes, Nicole excels at highlighting the importance of person-centred care; truly understanding each individual for whom they will provide care. Promoting a prevention focus, rather than a treatment focus, she encourages students to think about: where has this person come from? Why are they sick? What supports do they have or need, and where are they going home to once treatment has been provided? Her emphasis on ‘soft’ skills such as communication, empathy and critical thinking has seen her develop several student-led health check programs to support low socioeconomic populations in regional and farming communities, providing free health screens where supervised students practice basic assessment skills and provide health education in community settings. Nicole has several publications in the areas of nurse education and primary health interventions, where she demonstrates the importance of developing ‘soft skills’ in nursing and how effective education practices can produce student empowerment and potential agents of change.

Nicole has also been instrumental in remodelling the primary health units within the Bachelor of Nursing degree, increasing engagement, and scaffolding the learning journey by utilising authentic assessments such as conducting community needs assessments and creating health promotion programs to meet these community needs. This transformation saw her awarded both a Vice Chancellor and a national teaching citation. She has also co-led two international study tours to Indonesia, with a public health focus, exposing nursing students to issues and interventions in poorly resources communities. In addition to being an enthusiastic teacher, Nicole’s research interests also lie in both nursing education, health promotion and public health.

Research interests

• Patient education
• Nursing education
• Primary Health
• Public Health
• Health Promotion

Supervision

Sanika Kallu Valappil- Masters of Public Health- Current

Paul Kemel- Masters of Health (Research Practice)- 2021

Tahlia McDevitt- Honours (Nursing)- 2018

Publications

Book chapters

Cramer, R., Coombs, N., Lyons, J. and Kim, J (2021), Chapter 11: Foundations of Nursing practice. The Road to Nursing, 2^nd edition. Cambridge Press

Cramer, R., Coombs, N., Lyons, J. and Kim, J (2019), Chapter 11: Foundations of Nursing practice. The Road to Nursing, 1^st edition. Cambridge Press p168

Refereed journal articles

Coombs, N., Cruz, N., Allen, L., Cowan, A., Missen, K., Porter J., Sewel, L., and Borgelt, K. (2023). Collaborative learning in student-led pop-up health clinics: A Qualitative study. Active learning in Higher Education (under review)

Coombs, N.M., Porter, J.E., Barbagallo, M. (2022) An exploration of the influencing factors for effective public health messaging during disasters: A scoping review. Public Health (In press 2024)

Kemel, P. N., Porter, J. E., & Coombs, N. (2023). The benefit and limitations of an online physical activity program in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A quantitative analysis of the Virtual Latrobe Streetgames Program. Health promotion Journal of Australia https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.795

Coombs, N., Sewell, L., Jackson, M., Borgelt, K., Lee J., Porter, J (2023).Pop Up student-led health check clinics: Innovative health prevention strategy for a low socioeconomic community. Australian Journal of Primary Health https://doi.org/10.1071/PY23034

Coombs, N. M., Porter, J. E., & Barbagallo, M. (2023). Public health messaging during disasters: A qualitative study of emergency department key informants. Australasian emergency care 26 (2023) 284-289 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.auec.2023.02.005

Kemel, P. N., Porter, J. E., & Coombs, N. (2023). The Potential Barriers and Benefits of an Online Physical Activity Program during the COVID-19 Restrictions: Latrobe Virtual Streetgames. A Qualitative Study. American Journal of Health Education, 54(1), 29–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/19325037.2022.2142338

Coombs, N.M., Porter, J.E., Barbagallo, M., Plummer, V. (2022) Public health messaging during disasters: Practice and attitudes of Australian emergency nurses. Australasian Emergency Care,26(2), 193-197 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.auec.2022.11.001

Kemel, P. N., Porter, J. E., & Coombs, N. (2022). Improving youth physical, mental and social health through physical activity: A Systematic literature review. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 33(3), 590–601. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.553

Coombs, N. M., Porter, J. E., Barbagallo, M., & Plummer, V. (2021). Public health education by emergency nurses: A scoping review and narrative synthesis. Patient Education and Counseling.105 (2022) 1181-1187 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2021.08.036

Coombs, N., Missen, K and Allen, L (2020) Beyond simulation- extracurricular volunteering in nursing education: A focus group. Nurse Education Today 96 (2021)104603 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2020.104603

Coombs, N (2018)Educational Scaffolding: Back to basics for nursing education in the 21st century. Nurse Education Today 68: 198-200 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.06.007

Coombs, N, Allen L, Cooper S, Cant R, Beauchamp A, Laszcyk J, Giannis A, Hopmans R, Bullock S, Waller S, McKenna L, Peck B. (2018) Exploring young Australian adults’ asthma management to develop an educational video. Health Education Journal, Vol 77(2) 179-189 https://doi.org/10.1177/0017896917740721

Porter, JE, Miller, N. Giannis, A. Coombs, N. (2016) Family Presence During Resuscitation (FPDR): Observational case studies of emergency personnel. International Emergency Nursing. DOI: 10.1016/j.ienj.2016.12.002

Coombs, N.M., Porter, J.E. & Beauchamp, A. (2016) ED-HOME: Improving educator confidence and patient education in the Emergency Department. Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal. Elsevier Ltd. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aenj.2016.01.002

Refereed conference proceedings

Coombs, N. (2024) Public health messaging by emergency nurses during disasters in Australia. International Emergency Nurse Conference (ICEN), Perth, Western Australia

Coombs, N (2022) Public health messages during disaster: Australian emergency nurse practice and attitudes. International Emergency Nurse Conference (ICEN)- Gold Coast, Australia

Coombs, N (2022) Public health education in the Emergency Department: A scoping review. International Emergency Nurse Conference (ICEN)- Gold Coast, Australia

Coombs, N (2021) Volunteering to Learn: Nursing students engage in Pit Stop. National Nurse Educators Conference- online (COVID)

Coombs, N (2019) Reboot to compute: kick-starting patient education in the Emergency Department. Australasian Nurse educators Conference (ANEC)- Dunedin, New Zealand

Coombs, N. (2019) Patient education in the Emergency Department: What’s going on? International Conference of Emergency Nurses (CENA) Adelaide, South Australia.

Coombs, N. (2018) Defluffing the 'fluffy' subjects: Transforming student engagement and attitudes towards theoretical nursing courses. Australian Nurse Teacher’s Society (ANTS) conference- Melbourne

Coombs, N. (2018) ED-HOME: Educator confidence and patient education in the Emergency Department. Poster Presentation. Australian Nurse Teacher’s Society (ANTS) conference- Melbourne

Coombs, N. (2017). Defluffing the ‘fluffy’ subjects: A theoretical nursing course conversion for undergraduates. Australasian Nurse Educators Conference (ANEC) - New Zealand

Coombs, N. (2016) ED-HOME: Improving nurse confidence with patient education in the emergency department. College of Emergency Nursing Australasia (CENA) Conference - Alice Springs

Associations

• Australian Nursing Board Registration (Registered nurse)
• College of Emergency Nursing Australasia (CENA)- Victorian Committee member
• Australian Nurse Teacher’s Society (ANTS)
• Australian Nursing and Midwifery Foundation (ANMF)
• Sigma Theta Tau International Honors Society-Vic &Tas Chapter-Psi Zeta committee member