Associate Professor
- University of Arizona, College of Nursing - PhD
Dr. Christine Nibbelink is a professor of nursing for the Hahn School of Nursing. Currently, she teaches in the Doctor of Philosophy and Informatics programs. Her nursing career began with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Arizona, College of Nursing. Following graduation, Dr. Nibbelink began her clinical nursing career in telemetry and intensive care unit environments in San Diego. Through these experiences, she developed an interest in nurse decision making during patient crisis situations. She went on to complete a Master of Science in Nursing with a dual major in Nursing Education and as a Clinical Nurse Specialist at the University of Northern Colorado. In her Masters, she focused her research on the use of high-fidelity human patient simulation to support nursing education. After completing her Master’s, Dr. Nibbelink taught in a community college registered nursing program. As a nursing educator Dr. Nibbelink observed nursing students and new graduate nurses experiencing challenges following graduation when making decisions during high stakes and time limited circumstances in patient care.
These career experiences led Dr. Nibbelink to pursue a PhD in Nursing Informatics at the University of Arizona, College of Nursing and a postdoctoral fellowship in Biomedical Informatics at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine. Her research focuses on the influences of experience on nurse decision-making in acute care. To better understand these influences, Dr. Nibbelink uses qualitative research methods to identify factors nurses describe as influential to their decision-making and communication when caring for patients in acute care. Ultimately, Dr. Nibbelink seeks to improve patient outcomes using the results of her research to improve clinical decision support systems within the Electronic Health Record. Prior to University of San Diego, Dr. Nibbelink taught undergraduate and graduate nursing courses in nursing informatics and nursing research at San Diego State University.
Dr. Nibbelink lives in Poway with her husband and her two dogs. She has three grown children who live in different areas of the United States. She enjoys hiking, walking her dogs and spending time with family.
Professional Experience
Previous Teaching Experience August
2022-Present: Associate Professor, University of San Diego, Graduate Nursing Faculty
August 2019-2022: Assistant Professor, San Diego State University, Graduate and Undergraduate Nursing Faculty
August 2007-May 2013: Nursing Faculty, Aims Community College, Nursing
Previous Clinical Nursing Experience
1994-1995: Memorial Medical Center, Corpus Christi, TX, Staff Nurse, Intensive Care Unit
1990-1994: Scripps Memorial Medical Center, La Jolla, CA, Intensive Care Unit, Staff Nurse
1988-1990: Scripps Memorial Medical Center, La Jolla, CA, Staff Nurse/Charge Nurse, Telemetry Unit
Awards
- 2017-2019: National Library of Medicine Funded Grant: Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biomedical Informatics, University of California, San Diego, Department of Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine.
- 2017: Lange Dissertation Award.
- 2016: June and Walter Reis Endowed Scholarship recipient.
- 2009: Drennan Award from the University of Northern Colorado for outstanding work as a graduate student.
- Funded Research Grants:
- $90,000 – COVID-19 Response, Bureau of Health Workforce, Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program, Candidate’s Role: 10%.
- Funded Training Grants:
- $2000 – Grants Research and Enterprise Writing, fellow, Nov 2019- December 2019.
- National Library of Medicine funded Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of California, School of Medicine, Biomedical Informatics, June 2017-June 2019.
Scholarly Work
Journal Articles
1. Nibbelink, C. W., & Carrington, J. M. (2019). Nurse Decision Making in Acute Care. Computers Informatics Nursing, 37(3), 151-160. doi:10.1097/cin.0000000000000521; PMID: 30720472; Impact Factor: 1.321, Rank: 43.
2. Nibbelink, C. W., & Reed, P. G. (2019). Deriving the Practice-Primed Decision Model from a naturalistic decision-making perspective for acute care nursing research. Applied Nursing Research, 46, 20-23. doi:10.1016/j.apnr.2019.01.003; PMID: 30853070; Impact Factor: 1.612, Rank: 51.
3. Nibbelink, C. W., & Brewer, B. B. (2018). Decision-making in nursing practice: An integrative literature review. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 27(5-6), 917-928.; Impact Factor: 1.158, Rank 96.
4. Bristol, A. A., Nibbelink, C. W., Gephart, S. M., & Carrington, J. M. (2018). Nurses' Use of Positive Deviance When Encountering Electronic Health Records-Related Unintended Consequences. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 42(1), E1-E11. doi:10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000264; PMID: 29194338; Impact Factor .650, Rank: 36.
5. Carrington, J. M., Estrada, N., Brittain, A. C., Dudding, K. M., Galatzan, B. J., Nibbelink, C., . . . Renz, S. M. (2018). Nursing Informatics Year in Review 2017. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 42(2), 180-185. doi:10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000284; PMID: 29494454; Impact Factor .650, Rank: 36.
6. Nibbelink, C. W., Young, J. R., Carrington, J. M., & Brewer, B. B. (2018). Informatics Solutions for Application of Decision-Making Skills. Critical Care Nursing Clinics North America, 30(2), 237-246. doi:10.1016/j.cnc.2018.02.006; PMID: 29724442
7. Carrington, J. M., Tiase, V., Estrada, N., Shea, K. D., Dudding, K. M., Finley, B. A., . . . Roberts, M. L. (2016). Nursing Informatics Research and Emerging Trends in 2015. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 34(7), 284-286.; Impact Factor: 1.321, Rank: 43.
Journal Articles in Progress:
Nibbelink, C. W., Dunn-Lopez, K., Reeves, J. J., Horman, S., & El-Kareh, R. E. (In review for publication with Computers Informatics Nursing). Nurse and Physician Perceptions and Decision Making During Interdisciplinary Communication: Factors that Influence Communication Channel Selection.
Two papers in development based on a research study focusing on nurse decision-making and use of an intuitive decision support tool during a pandemic
Book Chapters:
Nibbelink, C. W. & Carrington, J. C. (submitted for publication in 2024). The Nexus between Nursing and Patient Safety. In C. Oster & J. Brateen (Eds.), Effective Clinical Decision Making and Action for Patient Safety. Springer.
Carrington, J. C. & Nibbelink, C. W. (submitted for publication in 2024). The Nexus between Nursing and Patient Safety. In C. Oster & J. Brateen (Eds.), Technology and Patient Safety: A Cause and Solution to Complexity. Springer.
Conferences and Presentations
Presentations
1. Nibbelink, C. W. & Georges, J. M., & Connelly, C. D. (2023). Using a conceptual framework to guide qualitative research (Poster). Communicating Nursing Research Conference, Western Institute of Nursing. Tucson, AZ.
2. Carrington, J. M., Dudding, K. M., Galatzan, B. J., Brittain, A., Johnson, E., Nibbelink, C., Rasmussen, R. J., Renz, S. M., Dunn, E. M. (2022). Nursing Informatics Year in Review (Presentation). American Medical Informatics Association Conference, Washington DC.
3. Carrington, J. M., Dudding. K. M., Galatzan, B. J., Anderson, K., Brittain, A. C., Johnson, E., Lopez, J., Nibbelink, C., Rasmussen, R. J., Renz, S. M., Strauch, K., Vandegrift, M. (2019). Nurse Informatics Year in Review (Presentation). American Medical Informatics Association Conference, Washington DC.
4. Nibbelink, C. W., & Carrington, J. M. (2018). Nurse decision-making and communication in acute care environments (Poster). NLM Informatics Training Conference-National Library of Medicine. Nashville, TN.
5. Carrington, J. M., Estrada, N., Brittain, A. C., Dudding. K. M., Galatzan, B. J., Nibbelink, C., Rasmussen, R. J., Roberts, M., Renz, S. M. (2017). Nurse Informatics Year in Review (Presentation). American Medical Informatics Association Conference, Washington DC.
6. Nibbelink, C., & Carrington, J. M. (2016). Innovations in engaging nurses in communication with decision making [Abstract]. Innovations in Engagement through Research, Practice, and Education, Communicating Nursing Research Conference Proceedings, Anaheim, CA.
7. Nibbelink, C., & Carrington, J. M. (2016). Innovations in engaging nurses in communication with decision-making [Abstract]. Innovations in Engagement through Research, Practice, and Education, Communicating Nursing Research Conference Proceedings, 59, 113.
8. Carrington, J. Estrada, N., Dudding. K. M., Nibbelink, C., Rasmussen, R. J., Roberts, M., Renz, S. M. (2015). Nurse Informatics Year in Review (Presentation). American Medical Informatics Association Conference, Chicago, IL.
9. Carrington, J. M., Tiase, V. L., Estrada, N., Shea, K. D., Dudding. K. M., Finley, B. A., Nibbelink, C., Rasmussen, R. J., Roberts, M. (2015). Nurse Informatics Year in Review (Presentation). American Medical Informatics Association Conference, San Francisco, CA.
10. Nibbelink, C. (2008) Patient simulation and Self Efficacy in nursing [Abstract]. (Poster) The Circle of Nursing Knowledge: Education, Practice and Research, Anaheim, CA
11. Lyman, B. & Nibbelink, C. (2007). Ready or not for simulation: Powerful preconferences. Nurse Educators Conference in the Rockies, Breckenridge, CO.