| Learning Objective #1: Explain the application of using literary art in teaching abstract concept--like caring in nursing--to students or clinicians | |||
| Learning Objective #2: List at least two caring behaviors demonstrated from the book "Tuesdays With Morrie" |
Caring is a fundamental value in nursing (Tanner, 1990). It may begin well before entry into nursing education. The challenge for faculty is to develop innovative strategies to teach students the abstract concept of caring and carry it into clinical practice. The use of a literary piece can be used to introduce the concept of caring. Of literary pieces that incorporate themes relevant to the practice and meaning of caring, Tuesdays With Morrie: An Old Man, A Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson (1997), the best selling book by Mitch Albom was selected to introduce this concept to students. The book is concise, easy to read, and conveyed many aspects of “caring” concepts applicable in life as well as to the profession of nursing. The concepts from this book are conveyed using storytelling and small peer group interaction to assist in forming foundations for the future integration of caring behaviors into clinical practice. Examples of the caring behaviors demonstrated throughout the book include touching, patience, comforting, listening, feeding, crying together, understanding, forgiveness, love, honesty, laughter, presence, sensitivity, empathy, privacy, commitment, and courage. Students are assigned journaling related to required readings. Facilitated discussions of the concepts presented in the book are incorporated from student’s contributions within their own small group discussions. At the conclusion of the course students view the movie, Tuesdays with Morrie, in class followed by discussion. To identify the effectiveness of this approach to teach caring, an instrument identified to measure caring interactions in undergraduate students (Hughes, 1993, 1998) was used. A pilot study implemented found a significant difference (p = .001) in the pre and post test of this strategy. Based on these findings, faculty intend to further explore the effectiveness of the teaching strategy for future curriculum development in teaching the concept of caring.
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