Local professor gets interpersonal

Docklands resident Professor Nel Glass from Australian Catholic University (ACU) has published her first book, exploring health care perspectives on communication, stress and crisis.

Interpersonal Relating focuses on human rights, humanism and the importance of the person as a framework to guide health care professionals in their practice intentions and actions.

A professor in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at ACU, and director of the Nursing Research Institute at ACU/St Vincent’s and Mercy Private Hospital in Melbourne, Professor Glass said her book was an important response to the current climate of health care delivery, which was often stressful and competitive.

“The results from my research conducted in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States consistently revealed that health care professionals, irrespective of experiences or qualifications, need to continue to build strong effective interpersonal skills,” she said.

“Health professionals need to equally manage the ‘everydayness’ of stress and crisis in order to gain greater workplace satisfaction and retention in the workforce.”

Written specifically for health care professionals, Interpersonal Relating puts forward positive optimistic views and strategic processes for the management of intrapersonal and interpersonal communication, stress and crisis.

Professor Glass said the reflective exercises and case studies interwoven throughout the book were grounded in real-life contemporary practical situations, which were of relevance to all health care professionals.

Interpersonal Relating is available from the ACU campus bookshop or local bookstores.