Illuminating and inspiring: using television historical drama to cultivate contemporary nursing values and critical thinking

Abstract

As the world prepares to commemorate the centenary of the First World War, it is timely to discuss meaningful learning activities that students of nursing could be engaged in to encourage them to reflect on the nurse's role then and now. Several films and television series about the war and featuring nursing have already been aired. No doubt there will be many more stories to come. Such stories have the potential to do more than eulogise nursing for students and practitioners. Stories, such as The crimson field, have potential to stimulate serious contemplation about values and cultural practices that have remained constant or have changed and to assist students to develop and articulate values that will be fitting for contemporary practice. Recently, excerpts from the series were examined with a group of nursing students and key learnings were found. These are shared in this paper for the benefit of educators planning to utilise public discourse as triggers to engage nursing students in discussions about nursing values, nursing history and representations of the profession.

Professional values in student nurse education: An integrative literature review

“…Indeed, in the context of many other aspects of nursing education, there is little evidence overall that measures the effectiveness of educational methods that support values development. 48 Opportunities to engage in learning with values embedded is an important aspect of nursing education 2,14,22 ; however, there is no consensus on how this should be achieved. 15,42 Unlike the teaching of clinical skills, there is no programme which produces a predictable outcome and this may account for the increasing innovation evident in this area.…”

“…The researchers draw on the alignment with Mezirow 46 as the student embarks on self-discovery through critical reflection to self-correct and transform their understanding and behaviour, recommending the inclusion of supported reflective spaces in healthcare education programmes. 40 In other studies, transformational learning principles were central to guiding structured reflective discussions with academic staff 22 and developing questions to support critical reflection on both personal and professional values. 21 In these studies, reflection was purposefully employed to gain insights into students own experiences, deepen their understanding of complex situations and consolidate professional identity.…”

“…There are examples of programmes designed to support this learning, which are often offered as additional or extracurricular programmes. 14,[19][20][21][22] There is also research on the influence that curricular or theoretical design exerts on professional value outcomes. 23,24 Evaluation of such programmes is evident in the literature, exploring the learning from the perspective of the participant and determining the effectiveness of these programmes.…”

Nursing Representativity in Television Health Series

“…It is necessary that nursing professors be attentive to the consumption patterns of the students, as the series are capable of provoking interesting and precious discussions, 17 and this type of media can surpass its marketing objective and be used as an educational tool to elucidate constructive debates and enhance professional and social relationships.…”

“…In a study that brought together nursing students to discuss some scenes from the The Crimson Field series, which showed the routine of physicians and nurses who cared for victims of the First World War, the students reported the feeling of pride in having seen nursing played a crucial and significant role for the victims of the war. 17 This highlights how much a positive social representation can bring new hopes to view Nursing as an important and valued profession.…”