In our Journal Club this month we discussed education about Gender and Sexual Minority (GSM) groups in the UBC nursing curriculum. After consulting with a person who identifies with the GSM community, we decided to use the term GSM for simplicity instead of LGBTI as used in the article. The paper considered was:
Brennan, A. M. W., Barnsteiner, J., Siantz, M. L. D. L., Cotter, V. T., & Everett, J. (2012). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, or intersexed content for nursing curricula. Journal of Professional Nursing 28(2), 96–104. doi:10.1016/j.profnurs.2011.11.004
The full-text article is available here or here:
The article is a literature review of healthcare journals exploring the attitudes, knowledge and skills needed by nursing students to build a successful and inclusive nursing practice. The article also provides GSM curriculum content suggestions.
It was noted that in 2002 the UBC School of Nursing created a committee to discuss how to best integrate GSM material into the curriculum. At that time it was felt that there was a lack of journal articles exploring GSM patients’ experience and even less about GSM in nursing education. In particular there was very little material on youth and older adults. It was suggested that the curriculum now addresses these matters in a number of ways, but perhaps the UPPC should revisit the literature review to see how our curriculum can be updated and improved.
Faculty identified that currently GSM content is placed primarily in the introductory Relational Practice course (N304). Numerous professors weave GSM health into their particular area of focus but the foundational knowledge is covered in N304.
The paper points to several effective teaching strategies, of which many are employed in the N304 class.
Language and Terminology
The N304 class provides students with common language and key definitions (gender, sexual orientation, transgender, etc) which acts as a foundation for deeper discussions. Students identified this as being key to their comfort in sharing thoughts and feelings with each other.
Common language and definitions was seen as key to learning. The article discussed the effectiveness of panels in nursing education. Students can hear a variety of first-hand experiences within the healthcare system.
A common topic when discussing GSM teaching is the use of pronouns. At least one faculty member has changed all pronouns in exams from ‘he’ and ‘she’ to ‘they’ to reflect a more inclusive approach. In Sweden, the gender pronoun ‘hen’ has been employed instead of him or her, although it was not considered a practical solution to the pronoun issue in higher educations here. Some faculty members brought up that using ‘they’ is not grammatically correct and can be confusing. The rebuttal to this is that when we have a conflict between grammar and inclusivity, inclusivity should trump.
Guest Speakers & Reflective Exercises
In the 304 guest lecturers were seen as among the most fascinating and thought-provoking classes. Faculty members in the journal club acknowledged the need for small group discussions and reflective exercises on this material in the curriculum; exposition alone being insufficient. It was argued that to become aware of our own positions we must be presented with information and also have a chance to think and write about what it means to us. As the authors identified “awareness is an essential first step in developing sensitivity and understanding” (97).
Key Issues
The paper also brings to light some clear example of health issues that nurses should be cognizant of when working with all patients that specifically affect members of the GSM community (for a full discussion of these issues please see the paper).
Role Modelling
The faculty realized that in order for students to develop an inclusive practice they themselves need to be role models of reflection and awareness. As the article explains “the ability to create this environment for learning and exploration is predicated on faculty themselves being open and willing to explore their own values and beliefs.”Journal clubs were seen as a strong place to start.
We encourage continuation of this dialogue and it was recommended that all nurse educators teaching in the undergraduate program should read this paper, as it has many excellent examples.
Students and faculty in the journal club realize that our curriculum doe not have the space to include an in-depth consideration of GSM related issues. However, consideration of the GSM patient’s experiences and GSM nursing education is essential. It was agreed that in this generalist degree students need to be prepared to work with people from all backgrounds and students need a broad base of experiences.
A PDF of the slides and questions used during this Journal Club is available here.
Dates for your Diaries!
Please note that the journal clubs and workshops will be hold for August due to vacations. Our next Journal Club meeting will be September 17 at 12 noon. We will distribute the article for this meeting earlier in September.
Also, please remember that on October 16th from 1200 to 1600 we will be hosting our first annual SoN EKM Nursing Education Forum. We will be sending out more details about this event in the near future, but it will include lunch and afternoon presentations and workshops. We are currently canvasing students for the things they would most like faculty to explore at the forum. In the meantime put the date in your schedule.