In a search for the most effective
method to teach psychiatric
nursing concepts while
addressing stigmatizing beliefs toward
individuals with mental illness,
I designed a creative reflective
assignment that encouraged
students to examine how mental
illness affects the client and family.
According to Varcarolis, Carson,
and Shoemaker (2006), empathy
is an essential component
of the therapeutic nurse-client relationship.
They further suggested
that nurses or nursing students
demonstrate empathy by communicating
to the client that they
understand their feelings and by
consistently focusing on the client’s
needs. Thus, this assignment
was designed to help students better
understand the client’s illness
and the need for holistic nursing
care, while addressing stigmatizing
beliefs and promoting empathy
development.
Effective nurse educators use
creative and innovative strategies
to engage students in learning.
According to the American
Association of Colleges
of Nursing (1998), the “most
effective method of stimulating
learning in students is to
engage them in active learning”
(p. 18). Through careful examination
of innovative strategies
used to teach nursing students,
nurse educators may discover