Dr. Yu Xu is a tenured associate professor and the PhD program coordinator for the School of Nursing. He primarily teaches nursing theory in the online PhD and MSN programs and directs the PhD program.

As PhD Coordinator, Dr. Xu provides leadership for the School of Nursing’s PhD in Nursing Program. This role includes overseeing the admission, progression, and graduation of doctoral students, leading efforts to develop and revise the PhD curriculum, mentoring faculty and doctoral students, and directing recruitment and retention initiatives.

Dr. Xu’s program of research focuses on the transition, adaptation, and integration of international nurses, especially those from Asia, into the U.S. healthcare environment. The long-term goal of this research is to contribute a knowledge base about how to facilitate the transition and integrate international nurses to enhance patient safety and quality of care in Western healthcare systems. His research has two foci; (a) to develop a theory regarding the adaptation and integration of international nurses and (b) to design transitional programs and test interventions based on this theory. Findings from this research will directly contribute to the recruitment, retention, and integration of international nurses. Currently, in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary research team, Dr. Xu is testing a post-hire communicative competence training program specifically designed for international nurses. This intervention study is funded by a two-year grant by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Since 1999, he has published 34 research reports and peer-reviewed articles in scholarly nursing journals such as Advances in Nursing Sciences, Journal of Nursing Scholarship, Journal of Nursing Administration, Nursing Economics, Nursing Ethics, International Nursing Review, Journal of Nursing Education, and made over 100 scholarly presentations at local, regional, national, and international levels. Dr. Xu is a certified nurse educator (CNE), as well as a certified transcultural nurse (CTN), recognized by the international Transcultural Nursing Society.

Biographical Sketch