Teaching Professionalism by Vignettes in Psychiatry for Nursing Students

Abstract

Background: Professionalism has recently gained attention in nursing education, particularly in psychiatry. Despite it was used to be part of the hidden curriculum, scholars advocate teaching professionalism explicitly in a safe educational environment. Vignettes were used to demonstrate professionalism dilemmas and with the use of triggers for reflection, students can learn the basis for decision making in critical situations though their experiential learning process. Experiential Learning Theory (ELT) emphasizes the central role that experience plays in the learning process. Aim:-This study aims at using a module of vignettes and stimulates student reflection and discussion to help them in constructing the meaning of professionalism in psychiatric practice. Method:-Vignettes were developed based on common situations that psychiatric nurses used to encounter in daily clinical practice. The Authors developed a list questions to trigger their reflection on the Vignettes and guide them to learn about specific elements of professionalism. Students" learning outcomes and feedback were reported as a measure of module effectiveness. The results:-A total of seven vignettes was reported to represent common professionalism dilemmas in clinical psychiatric nursing. The study confirms the feasibility and effectiveness of teaching professionalism by the use of vignettes and the effectiveness of self constructed learning outcomes. The process for the development and the use of vignettes was reported and students debate about the ethical, personal and cultural dimensions of each scenario that drive their decision making. In conclusion, teaching professionalism in Psychiatric education can acknowledge humanistic values such as: respect and altruism. It is essential to prepare nursing students for conflicting situations by discussion of professionalism dilemmas in a safe educational environment and provide them options for decisions. Students need to learn the consequences of their decisions and anticipate the impact of their choices on patients, colleagues and themselves. We need to graduate nurses who will meet the societal expectations from them and they have to learn gradually how to feel, think and act as nurses to develop their professional identity.