Poster Presentation

Sunday, November 4, 2007
10:30 AM - 11:45 AM

Sunday, November 4, 2007
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
This presentation is part of : Clinical Posters
Processing a Nursing Student's Suicide from the Perspective of the Science of Unitary Human Beings
Ronda D. Mintz-Binder, DNP, MN, BSN, BA, RN, Nursing-Academic Affairs, Los Angeles City College, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Learning Objective #1: state 2 current statistics regarding student suicide in the US.
Learning Objective #2: list 3 healing interventions to implement with faculty who have experienced a nursing student suicide.

         It is currently estimated that there are more than 1,000 suicides on college campuses each year and that one in 12 college students have made a plan (American Association of Suicidology, 2004).  Although rare, the southern California area has endured three nursing student suicides in the last 6 years. The colleges rallied to support the remaining students and provided a memorial service. In each case, faculty members were offered extremely limited psychosocial assistance. This paper uses the Science of Unitary Human Beings to explore the view of suicide as well as the processing of a student suicide from the faculty perspective.

         Using Roger’s (1970) view, although not well understood, no evaluative judgment is placed on a death. Rather, death represents a transformation in the interaction with the environment.  From Barrett’s power research (2000), we might view suicide as coming from a place of powerlessness and hopelessness. Not having access to power leads to an immobilization of human and environmental energy flow without clear awareness, choice, freedom nor involvement.

          For the survivor, the task is to move from a similar place of pain toward accepting higher frequency functioning. Recovery entails changing, accepting and moving forward with new positive field forces, and embracing awareness, choice, freedom and involvement representing survivor power. From Cowling’s work with the Healing Praxis Model for Women in Despair (2006), faculty must enhance forces that cultivate the human spirit while activating personal power and self-determination toward healing

           In conclusion, The Science of Unitary Human Beings provides a theoretical framework for interpreting a student suicide in a way that promotes understanding and healing among faculty and staff. Having a model is useful in providing a structure for ultimately accepting a jarring death, and then allowing the healing process to ensue.