Dr Judith Carol Christensen

Jocelyn Peach
3 days ago
4 min read

Retired Nurse Educator

Registered General and Obstetric Nurse, Masters, BA [Auckland], Master of Science Applied [McGill University Canada], PhD Massey University

Judith Christensen, daughter of Graeme and Thelma Christensen, was born 14 April 1943 in Wellington. She attended school in Auckland. After school she worked in Inland Revenue from 1959-1960. She prepared as a nurse at Greenlane Hospital School of Nursing in 1960 and worked as a nurse at Green Lane Hospital in 1964.

Judith worked as a social work trainee with the Department of Māori Affairs Child Welfare Division 1965 to 1966, undertaking part-time study at Auckland University from 1965-1968. She worked as a tutor at the Auckland School of Nursing 1966-1968, before being a tutor at Waikato Hospital in 1969.

In 1969 Judith was awarded the Flora Cameron Award from the New Zealand Nurses Association to undertake three-year study in Canada at McGill University to undertake a Master Degree from 1969-1972.

On her return from Canada, she was bonded to the Waikato Hospital Board from 1972-1973. She wanted to work in clinical nursing and was appointed as a charge nurse on a busy women's surgical ward from 1983 and 1984, which she absolutely loved. She introduced care plans, nursing assessments, the nursing process, nursing rounds and individual allocation of patients, rather than task-based nursing.

After six months, in discussion with the Director of Nursing at the Department of Health, Shirley Bohm, Judith was asked if she would be part of the 1973 three-year pilot of starting the Wellington Polytechnic nursing programme. The Carpenter Report and a Department of Education report had announced in 1972 that pilot diploma programmes would be offered the following year at the then Wellington Polytechnic and Christchurch Technical Institute. Judith was appointed as Head of School to Wellington Polytechnic, joined by Allison Johnson appointed to the Christchurch Polytechnic. Ms Bea Salmond was appointed at Victoria University of Wellington programme with Alice Fieldhouse to start the Massey University post graduate nursing programmes. Nan Kinross and Norma Chick were appointed to start the Massey University post graduate nursing programmes.

Judith was appointed to the role in the second week of December to a school that did not have a curriculum, a timetable or even any students. She worked out her notice at Waikato Hospital and started her new position in 1973 at Wellington Polytechnic in mid-January, the day before prospective students turned up for their entry interviews. The pilot schools had been given the curriculum guidelines that the training should be comprehensive and prepare nurses for any branch of the health service and be completed in 2700 to 3000 hours (half theory and clinical practice). They submitted the curriculum to the Nursing Council before the course started, working 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They submitted the curriculum to the Nursing Council: focused on the life cycle; the nursing process and equilibrium, supported by the Wellington Polytechnic general studies and science departments. The Nursing Council of New Zealand and Government approved the new programmes, which commenced on 1 March with thirty students. The programme remained a pilot until 1976 when the comprehensive training programmes were formally established. She remained at the school for more than 20 years. Judith became a member of the Nursing Council's education committee. She was involved in the Nurse Educators in the Tertiary Sector [NETS].

Judith contributed to several professional groups. She was on the Board of Trustees of NERF 1974-1983; on the Education Committee of the Nursing Council of New Zealand 1974-1980; as well as various ad hoc nursing, community and church committees. She was recipient of the NERF Flora Cameron Scholarship and Norman Peryer Award; Fulbright/Hays Award 1977; and British Commonwealth Nurses War Memorial Fund Scholarship 1981.

In the late 1970s, Judith was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and went to the United States for eight weeks to look at postgraduate clinical nursing programmes at ten universities. She was interested in clinical masters and advanced clinical practitioners. She had been invited to undertake doctoral study at two overseas universities but wanted to stay in New Zealand. Massey University did not have any PhD candidates in nursing at that time, so Dr Nan Kinross and Dr Norma Chick supervised her thesis. Her PhD research ‘A theoretical framework for the nurse-patient partnership’ developed a nursing theoretical framework for the partnership between nurses and patients. She was the first New Zealand nurse to gain a PhD in nursing in 1990. Her theory framework was later published as Nursing Partnership: A Model for Nursing Practice, an influential book on New Zealand nursing and nursing wider afield. Judith then lectured at Massey University's Albany Campus for several years.

Dr Christensen ended her 50-year career working for the Salvation Army, in which she held the position of captain. During her time with the Salvation Army, she developed a successful new model of treatment for alcohol and drug addiction known as the Bridge. She continued to use all her knowledge and life experiences.

Dr Judith Christensen died on 16 May 2016 at the age of seventy-three in Hamilton. Tributes referred to Dr Judith Christensen as a pioneering figure in nursing in New Zealand, a very influential figure throughout her long nursing and education career, mentoring and assisting many of today's nurse leaders. She met many challenges with dignity and grace, and always with intelligent and persuasive arguments. She was described as politically astute, deeply committed to the profession, a real scholar and a nice person.

Nursing ChampioNZ

Dr Judith Carol Christensen

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