Rita J. Olivieri, PhD, RN

Office

Cushing Hall 426
617-552-3669
rita.olivieri@bc.edu

educational history

• PhD Boston College
• MS Boston College
• BS Boston College
• RN Cambridge City Hospital School of Nursing

selected publications

• Olivieri, R. (2006) Physiological basis of practice: The Integument. In P. Tabloski, Gerontological Nursing. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. (pp.328-364).
  
• Olivieri, R. (2006) Physiological basis of practice: The Musculoskeletal System. In P. Tabloski,  Gerontological Nursing. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. (pp.551-599).
  

international presentations

• Olivieri, R.  Oneil, J. & Fairchild, N. ( November, 2003) Collaborative Nursing Research Team. Published in Conference Proceedings Sigma Theta Tau International 37th Biennial Convention November 1-5, 2004. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Rita Olivieri is an adult health nurse with a background in acute care nursing at a variety of hospitals in New York, Virginia, and Massachusetts.

Since becoming a member of the Boston College School of Nursing Adult health faculty, she has taught a variety of courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.  Her primary teaching role involves Adult Health Nursing in the undergraduate curriculum.

A focus of her academic career has been in the development of  strategies to enhance teaching and learning.  In 2001, she completed certification in distance education and was awarded a Summer Teaching Grant for the development of CSON’s first web-based course, “Foundations of  Teaching and Learning in Nursing”. It is the first course in a 3 course teaching certificate program. Prof. Olivieri received a “Teaching with New Media Award” , summa cum laude, for excellence in teaching with technology at Boston College.   In 2006, Dr Olivieri presented a distance learning related paper called “Multiple Methods of Evaluation” at the 19th Annual Pacific Nursing Research Conference, Oahu, Hawaii in 2006.

Prof. Olivieri’s  research has focused on patient responses to experiences with ambulatory surgery.  She is a faculty co-investigator for an NIH funded study and has presented several papers and posters related to the development and implementation of the study, as well as the experiences of working with a collaborative research team.

In the Fall of 2007, Dr. Olivieri, as part of a pilot program established by the university’s Instructional Design and e-Teaching Services group, designed and developed a series of video podcasts for her Clinical Lab Skills course.  This innovative program has allowed students to download custom videos of particular clinical skills to their computer or mobile device. This was the first application of this technology at the university and has been very well received by students.

research interests

Computer applications/nursing; learning styles/teaching styles and impact on learning; impact of chronic pain on quality of life; nurses' decision making in acute pain; nurses' and patients' perceptions of their education needs

appointments & awards

• 2006 Award Nomination: NU 580 Foundations of Teaching and Learning in Nursing.  WebCT Exemplary Course Project
• 2005 Teaching with New Media Award, Summa Cum Laude, for excellence in teaching with technology at Boston College.