Patricia Schofield

Academic profile

Professor Patricia Schofield

Professor in Clinical Nursing
School of Nursing and Midwifery (Faculty of Health)

The Global Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Patricia's work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

Goal 03: SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-beingGoal 04: SDG 4 - Quality EducationGoal 09: SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

About Patricia

I am a registered general nurse. I have worked in academia since 1992 in a number of institutions around the UK including Sheffield, Aberdeen, Greenwich and Anglia Ruskin.

I have maintained my clinical expertise in a number of ways including acting in the role as governor for Medway Foundation Trust, more recently as a vaccinator on the COVID programme for Dorset health and as a member of a number of pensioner forums including Chelsea and Westminster and Lewisham and a steering group member for Positive Ageing in London.

I am recognised in the field of Pain and Ageing and was invited to co-chair the Global year against pain in the vulnerable population and chaired the European Year against pain in the vulnerable population. I have recently been awarded a distinguished award for my contribution to the field of pain and ageing by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP).

I am a member of the examination board for the European Diploma in Pain Medicine and on the curriculum development team for the European Diploma in Pain Nursing. I have been awarded an honorary Diploma in Pain Medicine in recognition of my contribution. I am an honorary Professor at Abertay University and Sheffield Hallam University.

I am currently recruiting PhD students in the following areas:

  • Pain and frailty - exploring frailty amongst the older population in the post COVID world.
  • Dental Pain in Care homes - identifying and managing dental pain in nursing home residents
  • Self-management of pain using technology with older adults
  • Opioid use in older adults with chronic pain

Please contact me if you are interested in any of these specific topics or pain and ageing/dementia.

Supervised Research Degrees

The impact of empowerment and job satisfaction and organizational commitment – A comparison of Malaysian & British Nurses. (DMedSci)

Ethnicity in Care Homes (PhD)

Education for health professionals on self management of pain for older adults (PhD) MRC Funded

Exploring every day functioning in older people with chronic pain, using technology (PhD) MRC Funded

Pain in Older people – Self Management, a concept analysis (Siddall Scholarship)

Older peoples' perspectives of the varied qualities of chronic pain support groups (PhD)  

The association between musculo-skeletal pain and physical activity, falls and psychological concerns related to falls in community dwelling older adults (PhD)

Teaching

I have taught on a number of programmes including pre-registration nursing, masters level and doctoral level. I developed the first pain course for nurses in the UK which I facilitated whilst working at Sheffield University and I developed the curriculum for the professional doctorate in Sheffield which I facilitated for four years. I have facilitated online research modules for the MA Education and MA Management. I have successfully supervised to completion one professional doctorate student and 6 PhD students in my field of interest and I have examined 18 PhD students across the UK, Australia and Hong Kong.

Contact Patricia