Faculty and Staff Profile

Jason R. Thrift

Educational Background

Ph.D. Nursing
Mercer University 2022

M.S. Nursing Education
Clemson University 2011

B.S. Nursing
Clemson University 2001

Courses Taught

NURS 3100 Health Assessment (2014-present) ASD/BSA/BS
NURS 3101 Health Assessment Lab (2014-present) ASD/BSA/BS
NURS 4011 Mental Health Nursing Clinical Instructor (2015-present) ASD/BSA/BS
ASD-Accelerated Second Degree Program
BSA-Bachelor of Science Accelerated Program
BS-Bachelor of Science Program

Profile

Jason R. Thrift is an Assistant Professor at the Clemson University School of Nursing with 11 years of experience in nursing education. He is a Senator for CBSHS of the Clemson University Faculty Senate and a member of the Policy Committee and Global Engagement Committee member for CBSHS. He is a Faculty Scholar at the Clemson University School of Health Research (CUSHR). He worked for 26 years at AnMed Health Medical Center in Med-Surg, Nursing Informatics, and Patient Placement. His current research interests include virtual reality simulation for patient treatment modalities and student nurse education, and artificial intelligence/machine learning software. He is a Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE), a Board Certified Informatics Nurse (NI-BC), a member of the Mental Health America, Anderson County Board, Commission Chair for Professional Advocacy and Development for the South Carolina Nurses Association (SCNA), and a Leadership Succession Committee Member for the American Nursing Informatics Association (ANIA). He is an affiliate member of the research team for the Clemson University Virtual Reality and Nature (VRN) Lab, located within the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management (PRTM), and the Center for Addiction and Mental Health Research (CAMHR), affiliated with the Psychology Department.

Research Interests

Virtual Reality (VR)
Virtual Reality Simulation (VR-Sim)
Extended Reality
Artificial Intelligence
Simulation
Informatics
Mental Health
Medical-Surgical Nursing
Hospice and Palliative Care Services Research
Alzheimer's Dementia and Related Disorders Research
Workforce Development
Rural and Underserved Populations

Research Publications

Articles are listed below for my research interests. Visit my Google Scholar page, here, for more details and access to articles.

Thrift, J., & Varghese, C. (under review). The Role of Virtual Reality in Enhancing Clinical Preparedness in Nursing Education. Journal of Informatics Nursing.

McAnirlin, O., Thrift, J., Li, F., Pope, J. K., Browning, M. H. E. M., Moutogiannis, P. P., Thomas, G., Farrell, E., Evatt, M. A., & Fasolino, T. (under review). Tandem VRTM in Hospice Care: Exploring Pilot Data for Patient-Caregiver Dyads. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Scalia, J, Laprise, J., Thrift, J., Farrell, C., & Sarasua, S. (under review). Metrics Used for the Evaluation of Chatbots Providing Cancer Genetic Risk Assessment and Education: A Systematic Review. Journal of Medical Internet Research Artificial Intelligence. doi: 10.2196/preprints.76400 Preprinted link: https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/76400

Thrift, J., Hill, K., Bagwell, J., Gonzales, L., Stewart, K., Anderson, R., O’dell, A., Boice, O., & Card, B. (in press). Response to letter to the editor Virtual Reality in Nursing Curricula: Moving Toward Evidence-Informed and Sustainable Integration. Journal of Nursing Outlook, e102611. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2025.102611

Thrift, J., Hill, K., Bagwell, J., Gonzales, L., Stewart, K., Anderson, R., O’dell, A., Boice, O., & Card, B. (2025). Shaping the Nursing Workforce through Virtual Reality: Pitfalls and Possibilities of Implementation in a Nursing Curriculum. Journal of Nursing Outlook, Vol. 73 Issue 5, e102486. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2025.102486

Miller, K., Schuler, M., Thrift, J., Taylor, K., Urquhart, B., Gaffney, M., & Boice, O. (2025). Psychometric Analysis of the Revised Self-Assessment of Nursing Informatics Competencies Survey. Computers, Informatics, Nursing. Vol. 43 Issue 8, 1-8. doi: 10.1097/CIN.0000000000001325

McAnirlin, O., Browning, M. H. E. M., Fasolino, T., Okamoto, K., Sharaievska, I., Thrift, J., & Pope, J. K. (2024). Psychological well-being benefits of co-creating nature-based VR: Preliminary evidence from U.S. adults living with COPD. Journal of Well-being, Space and Society. Vol. 7, 100212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wss.2024.100212

McAnirlin, O., Thrift, J., Li, F., Pope, J. K., Browning, M. H. E. M., Moutogiannis, P. P., Thomas, G., Farrell, E., McMahon, M. A., & Fasolino, T. (2024). The Tandem VR(TM) Protocol: Synchronized Nature-Based and Other Outdoor Experiences in Virtual Reality for Hospice Patients and their Caregivers. Journal of Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications. Vol 40, 101318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conctc.2024.101318
Clinical Trial Link: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06186960?term=tandem%20VR&rank=1#study-overview

Moutogiannis, P., Thrift, J., Pope, J. K., Browning, M., McAnirlin, O., Fasolino, T. (2023). A Rapid Review of the Role of Virtual Reality in Care Delivery of Palliative Care and Hospice. Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing. Vol 25, Issue 6, p 1-9. doi: 10.1097/NJH.0000000000000983

Thrift, J., & Budlong, M. (2023). Social Media and Mental Health During the Covid-19 Pandemic. Journal of Informatics Nursing. Vol 8, Issue 3, p 1-7.

Thrift, J. (2023). You're Not Cut Out For This: Motivation to Succeed. American Nurse Journal. Vol 18, Issue 6, p 26-29. doi: 10.51256/ANJ0623126

Thrift, J. (2022). Nursing Student Perceptions of Presence in a Virtual Learning Environment: A Qualitative Description Study. Mercer University ProQuest Dissertation Publishing, 29258765.

Thrift, J. (2021). Exploring Virtual Environments for Mental Health Clinical Experiences in a Pandemic. Journal of Informatics Nursing. Vol 6, Issue 3, p. 1-3.

Thrift, J. (2016). Robotic Nurses: They are Coming Soon! Nursing Informatics Today. Vol 31, Issue 1, p 17-19.

Whitcomb, J., & Thrift, J. (2015). Accelerated Second Degree Programs: One way to reduce the Nursing Shortage. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing. Vol 34, Issue 4, p 187-188.

Quarterly Publications:

Thrift, J. R., & Cox, D. L. (2025). South Carolina Nurses Foundation (SCNF). South Carolina Nurse,
Vol 2, Issue 4, p. 4

Thrift, J. R., & Cox, D. L. (2025). South Carolina Nurses Foundation (SCNF). South Carolina Nurse, Vol 2, Issue 3, p. 5.

Thrift, J. R., & Cox, D. L. (2025). South Carolina Nurses Foundation (SCNF). South Carolina Nurse, Vol 2, Issue 2, p. 5.

Thrift, J. R., & Cox, D. L. (2025). South Carolina Nurses Foundation (SCNF). South Carolina Nurse, Vol 2, Issue 1, p. 5-6.

Thrift, J. R., & Cox, D. L. (2024). South Carolina Nurses Foundation (SCNF). South Carolina Nurse, Vol 1, Issue 4, p. 12

Thrift, J. R., & Cox, D. L. (2024). South Carolina Nurses Foundation (SCNF). South Carolina Nurse, Vol 1, Issue 3, p. 14.

Thrift, J. R., & Cox, D. L. (2024). South Carolina Nurses Foundation (SCNF). South Carolina Nurse, Vol 1, Issue 2, p. 10-11.

Thrift, J. R., & Cox, D. L. (2024). South Carolina Nurses Foundation (SCNF). South Carolina Nurse, Vol 1, Issue 1, p. 13.

Thrift, J. (2024). SCNF. The South Carolina Nurse. Vol 31, Issue 1, p. 12.

Thrift, J. (2023). SCNF. The South Carolina Nurse. Vol 30, Issue 4, p 16.

Thrift, J. (2023). South Carolina Nurses Foundation. The South Carolina Nurse. Vol 30, Issue 3, p 21.

Thrift, J. (2023). South Carolina Nurses Foundation. The South Carolina Nurse. Vol 30, Issue 2, p 8.

Thrift, J., & Hopla, D. (2022). South Carolina Nurses Foundation. The South Carolina Nurse. Vol 30,
Issue 1, p 9.

Hopla, D., & Thrift, J. (2022). The Golden Gala 2022. The South Carolina Nurse Monthly e-News and
Updates.

Thrift, J., & Hopla, D. (2022) South Carolina Nurses Foundation. The South Carolina Nurse. Vol 29, Issue 4, p 11.

Hopla, D., & Thrift, J (2022). SCNF. The South Carolina Nurse. Vol 29, Issue 3, p 12.

Hopla, D., & Thrift, J. (2022). SCNF. The South Carolina Nurse. Vol 29, Issue 2, p 12.

Media Entries:

Thrift, J. (2023, September 13). Did You Have a Lot of Patients? Did You Have a Lot of Patience? American Nurse Journal Perspectives. https://www.myamericannurse.com/did-you-have-a-lot-of-patients-did-you-have-a-lot-of-patience/

Honors and Awards

Palmetto Gold Award, 2026
Past President, South Carolina Nurses Foundation (SCNF), 2023-2025
P.A.W.S. Award for Simulation Work in CUSON, 2025
Faculty Feature CBSHS and CUSON Social Media, 2021
Past President, Gamma Mu Chapter of Sigma, 2019-2021
Outstanding Graduate Student Nurse Educator Track, Clemson University College of Health Education and Human Development, 2011
Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Gamma Mu Chapter Inductee, 2011

Links