Generating ideas for the teaching of nursing's history in Australia.
Nursing's history is an important, yet overlooked component of the nursing curriculum. History learning offers an opportunity to develop nursing graduates as critical and constructive thinkers with a positive professional identity. An Australian national study of nursing academics conducted in 2008 found that even though participants valued history of nursing teaching, educators have difficulty finding a place for history in the crowded curriculum, due to an over-emphasis on technical skills. The study also found that history of nursing pedagogy is inconsistent and poorly developed, and teaching expertise is unevenly distributed and difficult to access. This paper is an attempt to advance nursing history pedagogy relevant to Australia, by promoting a transformative approach to curriculum design in history learning, considering issues of significance to Australian nursing, and creating exemplar activities.
Margaret
McAllister
M
School of Health and Sport Sciences, Faculty of Science, Health and Education, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. Mmcallis@usc.edu.au
Jennene
Greenhill
G
Madsen
Wendy
W
Godden
Judith
J
D001315:Australia; D003479:Curriculum; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006676:History of Nursing; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D017145:Models, Educational; D016294:Models, Nursing; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000266:history; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D010687:Philosophy, Nursing / Q000266:history; D016730:Program Development; D012933:Social Identification