Dissertation defence: Steinunn Jonatansdottir (PhD HHSc)
You are encouraged to attend the defence. The details of the defence and attendance information is included below:
Date: 25 February 2026
Time: 9:00 AM (PT)
Defence mode: Remote
Virtual Attendance: via Microsoft Teams
LINK TO JOIN: Please contact the Office of Graduate Administration for information regarding remote attendance for online defences.
To ensure the defence proceeds with no interruptions, please mute your audio and video on entry and do not inadvertently share your screen. The meeting will be locked to entry 5 minutes after it begins: please ensure you are on time.
Dissertation entitled: THE MEANING OF SOCIAL INTIMACY IN RURAL NURSING: A HERMENEUTIC STUDY
Abstract: Building and maintaining relationships with patients and colleagues is often taken for granted as an inherent part of providing quality nursing care. However, navigating these relationships in rural contexts presents unique challenges that remain underexplored in nursing scholarship. The purpose of this study is to examine intimacy in rural nursing practice to illuminate the relational competencies expected of rural nurses and to explore how belonging to a small community influences nursing relationships and affects nurses both personally and professionally.
A Gadamerian hermeneutic approach was taken. Data consisted of 24 in-depth, semistructured interviews with 15 registered rural nurses living and working in Northwestern British Columbia, Canada. An interpretive analysis was employed. Rigor was upheld through methodological transparency, contextual sensitivity, and systematic, reflective engagement with the data to produce a coherent and resonant interpretation.
The results illuminated four interrelated facets of social intimacy shaping rural nursing practice. First, being a rural nurse involved expectations to belong within the community and gradually becoming part of its relational fabric. Second, knowing how to be captured the nuanced work of maintaining interpersonal boundaries, responding in ways that align with local social norms and nursing values, as well as, building trust that sustains nursing practices. Third, nursing relationships within the lived community revealed how nurses shift between relational and transactional modes of being, facilitating a movement in and out of intimacy depending on the circumstances. Finally, being able to thrive as a rural nurse was influenced by the communal nature of the workplace, experiences of critical events in small communities, the ongoing task of returning to one’s sense of self, and the role of organizational support. Together, these facets illustrate how social intimacy shapes clinical practice, relationship-building, and the relational adaptability required to deliver context-sensitive care in rural settings.
To conclude, successful integration of rural nurses into a small community involves becoming part of the relational fabric and experiencing social intimacy. Social intimacy is therefore a central concern for rural nurses, playing a crucial role in their professional practice as well as their personal well-being. Interacting with community members, both within and outside of practice setting, requires self-awareness and tact. Rural nurses draw on advanced relational skills and clinical judgment to navigate the relational aspect of their work. They must learn how to effectively and safely manage nursing relationships within the relational fabric of their community.
The language surrounding professional relationships and boundaries in rural nursing needs to advance. It is imperative that rural nurses can speak openly and seek support for the relational aspects of their work without feeling judged or accused of unprofessional behavior. Recognizing and addressing the complexities of relational demands in rural nursing is essential for ensuring the well-being of nurses and for sustaining high-quality healthcare in rural and remote communities.
Keywords: Social intimacy, Relational fabric, Nursing relationships, Professional boundaries, Rural nursing, Hermeneutics.
Defence Committee:
Chair: Dr. Catharine Schiller, University of Northern British Columbia
Supervisor: Dr. Martha MacLeod, University of Northern British Columbia
Co-supervisor: Dr. Neil Hanlon, University of Northern British Columbia
Committee Member: Dr. Lela Zimmer, University of Northern British Columbia
Committee Member: Dr. David Snadden, University of British Columbia
External Examiner: Dr. Annetta Smith, NHS Scotland
Contact Information
Graduate Administration in the Office of the Registrar,
University of Northern British Columbia
Email: grad-office@unbc.ca