IMPORTANCE OF LIBERAL EDUCATION IN NURSING

SHEENA . K. EASO I YEAR MSC NURSING

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT•In olden times, the term “Liberal” was

applied to the education which did not consist of bookish knowledge only.

•Towards Middle Ages liberal education consisted of the study of Grammar, Rhetoric, Dialectic, Arithmetic, Music, Geometry and Astronomy.

•The modern concept was applied to the education of a wide and comprehensive manner.

DEFINITION:

•Liberal education is a curriculum which includes a wide range of subjects. It gives a training that prepares an individual for every future occupation rather than a specific occupation.

DEFINITION:•As defined by Association of American

Colleges and Universities “ A liberal education is one that intentionally fosters across multiple fields of study, wide range in knowledge of sciences culture and society , high level intellectual and practical skills and active commitment to personal and social responsibility and the demonstrated ability to apply learning to complex problems and challenges”.

AIMS OF LIBERAL EDUCATION:

•Produces a man with specific qualifications that will help to adopt any profession in life.

•Provides basis for understanding, working and communicating with people, all of which educates the person and is essential to nursing profile.

GOALS :•Knowledge of the major areas of learning.•Acquisition of the habits of critical

thinking.•Cultivation of good attitudes, ideals and

traits.•To increase the capacity to order and to

interpret a complex set of circumstances.•To bring one’s full intellectual resources

to skillfully solve a problem.

CONTINUED :

•A liberally educated person forms a philosophy of life by which he organizes his existence.

•It gives stability to his being by which he can place himself in a meaningful context of values.

•Knowing one’s limitations the liberally educated man has respect for the rights and views of others.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A LIBERALLY EDUCATED

PERSON •Understands the laws that govern the natural phenomenon.

•Will possess initiative, the power of self control, adaptation, judgment and reasoning.

•Will be resourceful.•Will perform any professional or

vocational activities in a creative manner.

ESSENTIAL LEARNING OUTCOMES :

WHAT

LIBERAL EDUCATION IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

An option for the fortunate and viewed as non- vocational.

LIBERAL EDUCATION IN THE TWENTY – FIRST CENTURY

A necessity for all students and essential for success.

HOWThrough studies in arts and sciences discipline.

Through studies that emphasize the essential learning outcome.

WHERELiberal arts colleges or colleges of arts and science in larger institutions.

All schools, community colleges, universities, as well as across all fields of science.

IMPORTANCE OF LIBERAL EDUCATION IN NURSING

•Liberal education provides the cornerstone for the practice and education of a nurse.

•It provides professional help such as critical thinking, effective communication etc to a nurse needed to practice nursing.

•It helps to develop an academic independence that allows a nurse to fuse her own experiences into the professional curriculum.

LIBERAL EDUCATION AND NURSING EDUCATION

• Nursing education recognized the importance of liberal education in 1909.

• In nursing curriculum psychology, sociology was incorporated to understand the clients reactions.

• Natural sciences along with social sciences form the keystone for clinical nursing.

• In Bsc Nursing programme English, Local Languages, Psychology, Sociology, Yoga, Computer Ethics, Religion etc to make the students more adapted to the society they are in.

PROBLEMS IN IMPLEMENTINHG LIBERAL

EDUCATION•Nursing programmes are built solely upon

professional objectives.•Nurse educators give more importance to

science than to arts.•Resistance from different sources in

turning over of nursing education to university.

ELEMENTS OF LIBERAL EDUCATION

•Nothing enhances the expression of knowledge better than engaging in clear and accurate language.

•Study of different languages opens the mind to new ways of thinking.

•Liberal education introduces new ways of observation and experimentation.

•The study of human behavior and society leads students to investigate their own identities.

RECOMMENDATIONS BY MARTHA ROGERS

•Nationwide campaigns are provided on the need of liberal education programmes in Colleges of Nursing.

•National Organizations like TNAI, SNA has to take active part in national wide campaigns.

•Formation of Joint Committies with nursing faculty and general faculties to achieve effectives in the organization of programmes

Continued…

•Good communication between general education faculties and nursing education faculties.

•Traditional values have to be replaced by new insight, new orientations and new goals.

JOURNAL REFERENCE

•“A descriptive qualitative study of student learning Nursing infused with Art, Literature and Music” – Alice Jensen and Mary Curtis

Abstract• Nursing educators have long values and

supported the integration of liberal in professional nursing programmes. This descriptive qualitative study explores the meanings students derive from the integration of liberal and content into a psychological nursing class. Questionares have revealed five themes : an interesting hook, a deeper level of understanding, developing self –understanding, developing self empathy and increasing cultural awareness.

STUDY PURPOSE

•The focus of this study was to explore the learning experiences of students in a nursing school that was infused with art, music, literature and film.

METHODOLOGY

•A descriptive qualitative design was used to explore the meaning that students derived from the classroom experiences which incorporated art, music, literature and film.

RESULT•Five themes emerged reflecting students

perspective about integration of art, music etc.

•An interesting hook.•A deeper level of understanding•Developing self understanding•Increasing cultural awareness•Developing empathy.