Critical-care nursing pioneer wrote more than 100 papers
SHARON MAREE McKINLEY January 25, 1953-July 25, 2024
Dr Sharon McKinley was the first professor of critical care nursing in Australia (University of Technology, Sydney and Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia) and one of the first nurses to become a Fulbright Scholar, as well as a successful National Health Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and National Institute of Health (NIH, USA) grant applicant and research award winner.
Sharon was the first Australian nurse to be awarded International Council of Nurses/3M International Nursing Fellowship Award in 1987.
Already an accomplished senior nurse, Sharon began her research career in Melbourne, developing and testing closed-loop blood pressure monitoring systems in intensive care as part of her doctoral training. However, her research expertise extended beyond physiological topics to include understanding the critical care patient experience and factors affecting their recovery.
Her research and scholarly outputs were considerable leading to innovation, changes in practice and positive patient outcomes. Her research funding exceeded $6.5 million. She published more than 109 papers in peer-reviewed journals. Both metrics were previously unprecedented for a nurse academic. She was a life member of the Australian College of Critical Care Nurses and a chairperson of the research advisory panel for several years. Sharon was also a journal editor and grant reviewer.
Sharon was a teacher, mentor and role model to many, leading the way for the next generation of successful nurse academics. She invested time and energy in helping people reach their potential. Her standards were high and exacting, and she expected nothing less than exemplary attention to detail and a commitment to excellence from all she mentored.
Sharon received enormous respect for her work from international colleagues. She had strong links with research teams across the world, particularly in the US, and was frequently invited onto international groups responsible for developing innovations or setting current standards for practice such as the 2018 version of the pain, agitation/sedation, delirium, immobility, and sleep disruption in adult patients in the ICU guidelines.
She was made an International Fellow of the American Heart Association in 2009 – another incredible achievement for a nurse.
She gave generously to the people of the Pacific providing extensive support to develop critical care nursing education for islands such as Samoa.
Sharon was born at the Boort Bush Nursing Hospital in Victoria, the second of five children to parents Mary and Kevin. Her siblings are Carlene, Clare (deceased), Dianne and brother Mark. The family had settled in Kerang in northern Victoria and summers were spent enjoying the local pool.
Innovator Sharon McKinley: born at the Boort Bush Nursing Hospital in Victoria.
Sharon continued to love the water which resulted in many Pier to Pub swims, regular patronage at Brighton Baths and the local seawater pools in Sydney. She also developed a passion for scuba diving and enjoyed her many trips to our Pacific neighbours.
One story she loved to tell was of the dodgy dive boat, which slowly sank. The crew and divers were stranded and only had a few floating devices to share. They formed a large V-shape, with the strongest swimmers on the ends to support the weaker ones in the middle. It took them six hours to drift and swim back to land, arriving all badly burnt, but luckily hadn’t seen any sharks.
Sharon was a passionate Sydney Swans member and loved attending games. She was an excellent seamstress but a terrible driver. She was a much-loved friend and colleague and mentor.
She passed away peacefully, after a long illness, supported by the professional carers at Berengarra in Kew, surrounded by her family.
Sharon McKinley’s sister Dianne McKinley, friend and colleague Dr Rosalind Elliot and her lifelong friend Donna Dalling wrote this tribute.