Dr. Idevania Costa

Who I am

I am originally from Brazil where I grew up and lived great part of my life before I relocated to Canada with my family where I have lived since 2012. I am educated in Brazil and Canada as a registered nurse and researcher. I have had the opportunity to practice nursing in both countries in a variety of clinical areas including health promotion and disease prevention, women health, older adult care, medical-surgical, emergency room, critical care, and chronic wounds. My experience of living in a developing country for most of my life, practicing nursing in both Brazil and Canada and providing care for people with different backgrounds, has undoubtedly shaped my social consciousness and view that the global community holds a variety of realities and possibilities of making changes.

Past and Current Teaching Experience

My first opportunity to teach nursing students came one year after I finished my BScN in June 1997. In 1998, I took the role as an adjunct professor and clinical instructor in the maternal and women’s health course in the Faculty of Nursing at Federal University of Mato Grosso, Brazil.  After that first opportunity I became passionate about sharing my experience and involved in a variety of academic roles. From 2000 to 2005 I was an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Cuiaba (UNIC) where I taught: Health Assessment, Emergency, Medical-Surgical, Maternal/Women’s Health (including pre- and post-partum practicum), Critical Care and Nursing Research courses. I also held a position as an adjunct professor at the school of public health in Mato Grosso, Brazil (2003 to 2005), where I taught the Health Research and Application course at graduate level and supervised graduate students in specialty programs such as Public Health, Critical Care Nurse and Occupational Health and Safety. In 2005 I started my first tenure track position at the University of Diamantino, MT-Brazil where I taught: Nursing Theory, and Nursing Research and served as the director of the Faculty of Nursing (2005 to 2012).

Currently in the School of Nursing, Lakehead University I am teaching the following courses:

NURS 1511: Relational Nursing Practice 1- focuses on the role of self within a professional    therapeutic nurse-client relationship

NURS 3515: Relational Nursing Practice 7 - Facilitates a link between theory and practice, where students will develop their clinical experiences with older adults, employ knowledge as they respond to the comprehensive and holistic needs of older adults.

NURS 3035: Complex Care of older Adults - Examines concepts and theories relevant to older-adult aging and to the holistic health and function of older persons.

NURS 4051: Nursing Research - Focuses on knowledge acquisition of the research process, including appraisal of evidence, application of quantitative and qualitative methodologies, critical reasoning, and the key steps of the research process.

Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is rooted in the transformative learning theory described by Mezirow and is drawn from the work of Paulo Freire, a Brazilian Educators well-known for his influential work, ‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed’, which is generally considered one of the foundational texts of the critical pedagogy movement. The whole notion of transformative learning is to make sense of experience and recognize the importance of giving opportunities to learners to engage in meaningful discussion. In order to enact this approach, I position myself as a learning facilitator. As a facilitator, I strive to create an inclusive learning environment where students are actively involved in dialogue and collaboration, and where they can learn effectively by sharing experience and understanding their role in the social world.