Dr. Pamela (Pam) Grace, RN, PhD, FAAN

Associate Professor (Retired), Boston College, William F. Connell School of Nursing, USA

Nurse Scientist, Munn Center for Nursing Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, USA

IPONS Vice-Chair 2018-2021

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My interest in nursing philosophy developed out of the unanswered questions I had related to practice problems I encountered during a long nursing career. A course in Medical Ethics during master’s studies determined my decision to complete a PhD in philosophy. My dissertation was a philosophical analysis of the concept of advocacy and resulted in reconceptualizing this as ‘professional advocacy’. Post dissertation I taught moral reasoning, nursing epistemology, nursing philosophy across curricula. The tools of philosophical inquiry have proven invaluable in developing nurses who will question the status quo.

I became a member of IPONS at its inception in 2003.

Selected Publications

  • Nursing ethics and professional responsibility in advanced practice, 3rd Ed. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett, 2018. Link
  • With M. Zumstein‐Shaha. “Using Ockham’s razor to redefine “nursing science,” Nursing Philosophy, 21(2), e12246. (2020). Link
  • “Philosophical Inquiry and Professional Advocacy,” Nursing Philosophy, 20(3):e12242 (2019). Link
  • With C. Cuchetti, “Authentic intention: Tempering the dehumanizing aspects of technology on behalf of good nursing care,” Nursing Philosophy, May 28:e12255 (2019). Link

Education

  • PhD 1998, Philosophy, University of Tennessee – Knoxvile, USA
  • MSN, 1989, Adult Primary Care, University of West Virginia, USA
  • BSN 1987, University of West Virginia, USA
  • 1972 State Registered Nurse, Walton Hospital, Liverpool, UK