College of Nursing

Background

Dr. Astle received a PhD in 1999, a Masters in Nursing in 1987, a Master of Arts in 1978, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1974.

Teaching

Dr. Astle has been an educator since 1987. He began teaching Mental Health Nursing, Fundamentals of Nursing, Pharmacology, and other courses in an Associate Degree Nursing program. He also taught Care of the Older Adult in the LPN program. In 2003 Dr. Astle relocated to Ohio where he taught in a single-purpose BSN program. While there he taught Mental Health Nursing, Fundamentals of Nursing, Nursing Research, and, for one semester, General and Abnormal Psychology.  Since 2007 Dr. Astle has taught Mental Health Nursing, Fundamentals of Nursing, Evidence-based Practice, and Geriatric Nursing.

Research (Concept Areas)

Poverty
Aging

Dr. Astle is currently revising a study of advanced practice nurses’ attitudes toward persons living in poverty. He is also in the process of doing the literature review for a study of poverty and nursing curriculum and one on nurses and student nurses attitudes toward persons living in poverty.

Dissemination 

Dr. Astle’s dissemination activities have included a presentation entitled, Attitudes of Advanced Practice Nurses Toward Persons Living in Poverty, at the 15th annual Care of the Underserved Conference in Ohio in April 2007 and a poster presentation of the same research project for Nurse’s Day at Palmetto Baptist Hospital in May 2007.  At the SCNA Psychiatric Nurses Chapter meeting in November 2007, Dr. Astle presented a research project entitled, PTSD.

Professional Service

American Nurses Association
South Carolina Nurses Association
             Psychiatric Nurse Chapter
             Nurse Educator Chapter
American Public Health Association
American Psychiatric Nurses Association

Professional Practice

Co-facilitator Family Solutions group Richland School District 2
Psychiatric Nurse, Cherry Hospital, Goldsboro NC, summer 2008
CPR instructor
Previously an ER staff nurse (in the Armed Forces) and on various in-patient psychiatric units (as a traveling nurse), a nurse clinician in a psychiatric out-patient clinic, a head nurse and a nursing supervisor on a variety of psychiatric units.

Publications (Selected)

Astle, F. 2007. Diabetes and Depression: A Review of the Literature, Nursing Clinics of North America, 42(1), 67-78.