ABSTRACT
Contrary to recommendations from national medical organizations, medical school education often fails to train students to interact effectively with patients with limited health literacy. The objectives of a new health literacy curriculum in a family medicine clerkship were to increase students' knowledge of health literacy and develop comfort with specific communication skills. Instructional strategies included lectures, practice with standardized patients (SPs), and a facilitated discussion board. At the end of the first year of the curriculum, there was a statistically significant increase in students' knowledge of health literacy. During the final testing with SPs, students achieved high scores for health literacy related communication skills. The curriculum is replicable at other universities and was an effective and efficient way for medical students to learn about health literacy and to acquire valuable skills to improve their patients' understanding of health information.
Subject(s)
Clinical Clerkship , Curriculum , Family Practice/education , Health Literacy , Communication , Family Practice/statistics & numerical data , Health Education , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Models, Educational , Statistics, Nonparametric , Time Factors , United StatesABSTRACT
This article describes the Cancer Nursing Faculty Fellows Program, an innovative program designed to provide nurse educators with state-of-the-art cancer knowledge to enhance their ability to teach cancer content. The Faculty Fellows Program was developed at the University of Louisville School of Nursing and was part of a multifaceted educational intervention to improve cancer nursing education. This intervention included comprehensive curriculum reviews, conferences with national consultants, cancer-specific faculty seminars, and funded instructional projects. The Faculty Fellows Program consisted of a mentored experience attending the Oncology Nursing Society Congress and a month-long intensive program to provide faculty with exposure to cancer experts, researchers, and clinical and community resources. By providing a forum for nurse educators to obtain this knowledge and provide the resources they need to change the way they educate nursing students, the program can significantly affect cancer-related nursing education and, ultimately, the care of patients with cancer and survivors.
Subject(s)
Education, Nursing, Graduate/organization & administration , Faculty, Nursing/organization & administration , Fellowships and Scholarships/organization & administration , Interinstitutional Relations , Oncology Nursing/education , Schools, Nursing/organization & administration , Academies and Institutes/organization & administration , Attitude of Health Personnel , Curriculum , Forecasting , Humans , Kentucky , Needs Assessment/organization & administration , Nursing Education Research , Professional Competence , Program Development , Program Evaluation , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
This article describes a partnership model used to establish the Center for Cancer Nursing Education and Research at the University of Louisville (U of L) School of Nursing. The model was used to bring together area nursing education programs, institutions providing cancer nursing care, and related community groups. The need for the project was directly related to the high cancer morbidity and mortality in the community. The U of L's strategic agenda and strong commitment to cancer prevention and care provided a growth opportunity for the recognition of nurses' role in cancer care. Nurses are positioned to influence cancer care across the continuum from prevention to end of life, and building the capacity for cancer nursing is essential to building a system of cancer care. This article describes an innovative partnership model used to stimulate a community-wide focus on cancer nursing. The organizational structure, development of partner relationships, description of project activities, and outcomes are presented along with a discussion of the said model's benefits and potential for replication.
