Sean Clarke
FAAN PhD RN
Ursula Springer Professor in Nursing Leadership
sean.clarke@nyu.edu
1 212 998 5264
Ursula Springer Professor in Nursing Leadership
433 First Ave
New York, NY 10010
United States
Sean Clarke's additional information
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Sean Clarke, RN, PhD, FAAN, is the executive vice dean and a professor at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. His research focuses on quality and safety issues in acute care hospitals, workforce issues, occupational safety of nurses, and the influences of economic and political factors on healthcare delivery and the nursing profession. He is perhaps best known for research on nurse staffing in hospitals and surveys of nurse working conditions. He has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles and 30 book chapters. Clarke has been a principal investigator on projects supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and has served as a co-investigator on grants totaling over $10 million over the course of his career. In addition to teaching nursing, health policy, and research at the baccalaureate through doctoral levels, he also supervises PhD and postdoctoral research trainees and maintains a program of research with colleagues from a number of countries.
Clarke has been a member of a variety of panels and boards related to health research and healthcare quality. He has had extensive involvement in peer review of research articles and grants and served on editorial boards of a number of scientific and professional journals in nursing and health services research. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and currently holds affiliate faculty appointments at the Université de Montréal and the University of Hong Kong.
Prior to joining the faculty at NYU Meyers, he was a professor and associate dean in the Undergraduate Program at the Connell School of Nursing, Boston College, from 2014–2018. He was also on faculty at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing for seven years, held an endowed chair in cardiovascular nursing at the University of Toronto, and was an endowed chair directing a special donor-funded set of projects intended to advance collaboration between the School of Nursing and its affiliated teaching hospitals at McGill University. He also co-directed nursing health services and workforce research groups in Philadelphia and Toronto and has been a consultant to clinicians, leaders, and professional associations on issues related to nursing and patient safety for almost two decades in Canada, the United States, and internationally.
Clarke completed his basic clinical and research training in nursing at McGill University, in Montreal, Canada, and pursued a nurse practitioner education and a postdoctoral research fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds BA and BS degrees from the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, in his hometown of Ottawa, Canada.
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PhD - McGill University School of NursingMS - McGill University School of NursingBA - Carleton UniversityBS - University of Ottawa
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Nursing workforceAdult healthNursing administrationHealth Policy
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Faculty Honors Awards
Creative Teaching Award, Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto (2011)Dean’s Award for Undergraduate Teaching, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (2007)Junior Faculty Research Award, Biobehavioral and Health Sciences Division School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania (2006)Fellow, American Academy of Nursing (2006)Class of 1965 25th Reunion Term Chair, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing [for enduring contributions to undergraduate education] (2006)American Academy of Nursing Media Award for coverage of Aiken, Clarke et al., JAMA, October 23/30, 2002 (2003)Article of the Year, Academy Health [Academy for Health Services Research and Health Policy] for Aiken, Clarke et al., JAMA, October 23/30, 2002 (2003)American Academy of Nursing Media Award for coverage of Aiken, Clarke, et al. Health Affairs, 2001 (2002)Induction into Sigma Theta Tau, Xi Chapter (1999) -
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Publications
Hospital staffing, organization, and quality of care: Cross-national findings
AbstractAiken, L. H., Clarke, S. P., & Sloane, D. M. (2002). International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 14(1), 5-13. 10.1093/intqhc/14.1.5AbstractObjective. To examine the effects of nurse staffing and organizational support for nursing care on nurses' dissatisfaction with their jobs, nurse burnout, and nurse reports of quality of patient care in an international sample of hospitals. Design. Multisite cross-sectional survey. Setting. Adult acute-care hospitals in the United States (Pennsylvania), Canada (Ontario and British Columbia), England, and Scotland. Study participants. 10 319 nurses working on medical and surgical units in 303 hospitals across the five jurisdictions. Interventions. None. Main outcome measures. Nurse job dissatisfaction, burnout, and nurse-rated quality of care. Results. Dissatisfaction, burnout, and concerns about quality of care were common among hospital nurses in all five sites. Organizational/managerial support for nursing had a pronounced effect on nurse dissatisfaction and burnout, and both organizational support for nursing and nurse staffing were directly, and independently, related to nurse-assessed quality of care. Multivariate results imply that nurse reports of low quality care were three times as likely in hospitals with low staffing and support for nurses as in hospitals with high staffing and support. Conclusion. Adequate nurse staffing and organizational/managerial support for nursing are key to improving the quality of patient care, to diminishing nurse job dissatisfaction and burnout and, ultimately, to improving the nurse retention problem in hospital settings.Needlestick injuries to nurses, in context.
AbstractClarke, S. P., Sloane, D. M., & Aiken, L. H. (2002). LDI Issue Brief, 8(1), 1-4.AbstractInjuries with used needles and other "sharps" put health care workers at risk for serious bloodborne infections, such as HIV and hepatitis B and C. To some extent, this risk can be lessened through safer techniques (such as not recapping needles) and safer devices (such as needleless and self-sheathing equipment). But these injuries occur within a context (often a hospital unit) with organizational features that may themselves contribute to an increased or decreased risk. This Issue Brief summarizes a series of studies that investigate whether workplace aspects of the hospital (such as staffing levels, and organizational structure and climate) affect the risk of needlestick injuries to nurses.Organizational climate, staffing, and safety equipment as predictors of needlestick injuries and near-misses in hospital nurses
AbstractClarke, S. P., Rockett, J. L., Sloane, D. M., & Aiken, L. H. (2002). American Journal of Infection Control, 30(4), 207-216. 10.1067/mic.2002.123392AbstractBackground: Recently passed federal legislation requires institutions to adopt safety equipment to prevent needlesticks, but there is little empirical evidence of the effectiveness of specific types of safety devices or the contribution of safety devices to reducing needlesticks relative to the contributions of staffing, organizational climate, and clinicians’ experience. Method: In 1998, 2287 medical-surgical unit nurses in 22 US hospitals were surveyed in regard to staffing and organizational climate in their hospitals and about patient and nurse outcomes, including needlestick injuries. Hospitals provided information about available protective devices at the time of the survey. Relationships between nurse and hospital characteristics and protective equipment and the likelihood of needlestick injuries and near-miss incidents were examined. Results: Poor organizational climate and high workloads were associated with 50% to 2-fold increases in the likelihood of needlestick injuries and near-misses to hospital nurses. Capless-valve secondary intravenous set systems and use of any type of protective equipment for IV starts or blood draws were associated with 20% to 30% lowered risks of both event types. Conclusions: Nurse staffing and organizational climate are key determinants of needlestick risk and must be considered with the adoption of safety equipment to effectively reduce sharps injuries.Cause for concern: nurses' reports of hospital care in five countries.
AbstractAiken, L. H., Clarke, S. P., Sloane, D. M., & Sochalski, J. (2001). LDI Issue Brief, 6(8), 1-4.AbstractAccording to most experts, the U.S. faces a growing shortage of registered nurses, threatening the quality of care hospitals can provide. In the setting of nurse shortages and simultaneous concern about patient safety, nurses' job satisfaction and their assessment of quality of care become critical. This Issue Brief highlights a cross-national survey that describes nurses' perceptions of their hospital work environment, and identifies core problems in work design and workforce management in five countries.Entry into Practice in Ontario
AbstractClarke, S. P., & Patrician, P. A. (2001). American Journal of Nursing, 101(2), 73-76. 10.1097/00000446-200102000-00055AbstractA new initiative may have implications for American nursing.Hospital restructuring: Does it adversely affect care and outcomes?
AbstractAiken, L. H., Clarke, S. P., & Sloane, D. M. (2001). Journal of Health and Human Services Administration, 23(4), 416-442.AbstractThe past decade has witnessed pronounced changes in the organization of U.S. hospitals, many the direct result of restructuring and reengineering initiative intended to decrease costs and increase productivity. Little is known about how these initiatives have affected clinical care and patient outcomes. Using data from a variety of sources, the authors describe initiatives that hospitals undertook over this period, indicate how staffing changed relative to the case-mix of patients receiving care, and examine changes in nursing practice environments over the period from 1996 to 1998. The authors found that apparent increases in nurse-to-patient ratios may be deceiving and that increases in patient acuity and nurses' responsibilities may have increased the workload of nurses in hospitals in ways, when coupled with a deteriorating practice environment, may adversely affect patient outcomes.An International Perspective on Hospital Nurses’ Work Environments: The Case for Reform
AbstractAiken, L. H., Clarke, S. P., Sloane, D. M., & Sochalski, J. A. (2001). Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 2(4), 255-263. 10.1177/152715440100200402AbstractThe current nursing shortage, high hospital-nurse job dissatisfaction, and reports of uneven quality of hospital care are not uniquely American phenomena. This article presents reports from 43,000 nurses at more than 700 hospitals in the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, and Germany during 1998 and 1999. Nurses in countries with distinctly different health care systems report similar shortcomings in their work environments and the quality of hospital care. Although nurse and physician competence and nurse-physician relationships appear satisfactory, core problems in work design and workforce management threaten care provision. Resolving these issues, which are amenable to managerial intervention, is essential to preserve patient safety and provide care of consistently high quality.Nurses' reports on hospital care in five countries
AbstractAiken, L. H., Clarke, S. P., Sloane, D. M., Sochalski, J. A., Busse, R., Clarke, H., Giovannetti, P., Hunt, J., Rafferty, A. M., & Shamian, J. (2001). Health Affairs, 20(3), 43-53. 10.1377/hlthaff.20.3.43AbstractThe current nursing shortage, high hospital nurse job dissatisfaction, and reports of uneven quality of hospital care are not uniquely American phenomena. This paper presents reports from 43,000 nurses from more than 700 hospitals in the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, and Germany in 1998-1999. Nurses in countries with distinctly different health care systems report similar shortcomings in their work environments and the quality of hospital care. While the competence of and relation between nurses and physicians appear satisfactory, core problems in work design and workforce management threaten the provision of care. Resolving these issues, which are amenable to managerial intervention, is essential to preserving patient safety and care of consistently high quality.Nutritional and medical therapy for dyslipidemia in patients with cardiovascular disease.
AbstractLogan, P., & Clarke, S. (2001). AACN Clinical Issues, 12(1), 40-52. 10.1097/00044067-200102000-00006AbstractDyslipidemia is a significant risk factor for the progression of cardiovascular disease, particularly when associated with other risk factors. An understanding of the pathophysiology and risks for patients with atherosclerotic diseases of undertreated dyslipidemia is essential for the healthcare provider. In this article, a review of epidemiologic data regarding the role of lipid levels in cardiovascular disease prognosis is presented. A familiarity with current dietary and drug treatment of lipid disorders is at the core of an evidence-based approach to dyslipidemia management in the patient with established cardiovascular diseases.Hospital Restructuring:Does It Adversely Affect Care and Outcomes?
AbstractAiken, L. H., Clarke, S. P., & Sloane, D. M. (2000). Journal of Nursing Administration, 30(10), 457-465. 10.1097/00005110-200010000-00003AbstractThe past decade has witnessed pronounced changes in the organization of United States hospitals, many the direct result of restructuring and re-engineering initiatives intended to decrease costs and increase productivity. Little is known about how these initiatives have affected clinical care and patient outcomes. Using data from a variety of sources, the authors describe initiatives that hospitals undertook during this period, discuss how nurse staffing changed relative to the case mix of patients receiving care, and examine changes in nursing practice environments from 1986 to 1998.