Reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in an undergraduate, US healthcare course.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a modern classic in American literature by Ken Kesey, was used to complement conventional assignments in Healthcare USA, an undergraduate survey of the American healthcare system at George Mason University. The book contrasts perceptions of reality between a group of psychiatric patients and the institutional staff. It also depicts a power struggle between patients and staff and illustrates how patients can be enslaved by the healthcare system itself. The purpose of the assignment was to prompt student reflection upon both the contrasting realities and the power conflicts between patients and staff. Several examples of student responses are presented.
Metcalf
James
J
College of Nursing and Health Science, George Mason University (MS: 3-C4), 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, Virginia 22030, USA. jmetcalf@gmu.edu
D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D006739:Hospital Administration / Q000193:education*; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders; D009040:Motion Pictures; D018794:Problem-Based Learning; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011932:Reading; D013663:Teaching; D014481:United States