Learning Objective #1: Identify how narrative pedagogy can inform evidence-based practice in nursing education

Learning Objective #2: Apply the principles of narrative pedagogy to evidence-based practice in educational settings

---

Introduction/Background: Nursing educators have shown that the use of narratives, which allows students to incorporate “lived experiences” and discussions of these experiences into the learning environment, informs nursing practice.

Objective: To combine evidenced-based practice with narratives to help nursing students provide care that is both individualized and comprehensive.

Design: An interventional interpretive pilot study utilizing lecture, practice guidelines, patient stories, individual written narratives, and discussions. Population: Twenty associate degree nursing students in a Southern California Community College.

Method: (a) Students were given lecture on care of the patient with prostate cancer using practice guidelines; (b) Students wrote individual narratives describing how they would provide care for this patient using the lecture and practice guidelines; (c) Students were provided with three stories of the “lived experiences” of men who had prostate cancer; (d) Students wrote individual narratives describing how they would provide care for this patient using lecture, practice guidelines, and narratives; (e) Class discussion on individualizing evidenced-based care for the patient with prostate cancer.

Findings/Implications: Initial findings indicated that reading the men's stories influenced the students' planned approaches to care for the patient with prostate cancer. Coding further uncovered student's concerns, practices, and meanings in planning care.