Caroline Rae, EdD, MSN, RN
Associate Professor of Nursing
Medical Surgical Clinical Course Coordinator
CNSA Faculty Advisor, AFSA Chairperson
Concordia University Irvine, Spectrum CampusCaritas Coach®
Caritas Coach®
Dr. Caroline Rae is a dedicated nurse with over 30 years of experience. She received her BSN from CSU Long Beach, MSN from Vanguard University, and her EdD from the University of LaVerne. Her dissertation studies focused on how faculty foster the development of nursing student empathy. Caroline completed the Caritas Coach Education Program® in 2023 with Cohort 27 and served as a CCEP intern with Cohort 30 before joining the Caritas Coach® faculty.
Caroline also works as an Associate Professor of Nursing at Concordia University Irvine (CUI). The nursing programs at CUI are guided by Dr. Watson’s theory of human caring, and Caroline serves as Caritas Coordinator. She has developed programs for faculty and students to learn and incorporate Caring Science into their practice. She firmly believes that self-care is not selfish and encourages those around her to honor and care for themselves to provide for others. With this in mind, she partnered with the Academic Faculty and Student Affairs committee to create a serenity room/healing space. Caritas Corner is a welcoming, quiet space on campus where faculty, staff, and students can step away from everyday stresses and take a few moments to center, reflect, and rejuvenate. She is also working to implement a 30-minute Wellness/Chapel break into the daily campus schedule. This is a time to step away from the hurry and worry of everyday faculty/student life and focus on that which fills your cup.
Caroline has a heart for service. She volunteers with Wound Walk OC, a local street medicine team dedicated to tending to the wounds of the vulnerable, marginalized, and unsheltered among us. This work allows her to connect on a soul-to-soul level with people who are often overlooked and unwelcome. She has also served as the Chairperson of the Advisory Board for the Orange County Medical Reserve Corps and as a Captain with Anaheim’s Community Emergency Response Team.