Increasing nursing students' spiritual sensitivity

Since the 1960s, the nursing profession has experienced a resurgence of interest in spirituality. Even though nursing theories and the holistic perspective acknowledge the nurse's responsibility to attend to the spiritual needs of patients, little attention has been given to the development of spiritual sensitivity in nursing students. The authors articulate teaching strategies used in a community health practicum course that have been effective in promoting and increasing spiritual sensitivity in baccalaureate nursing students who come from varied religious traditions. Specific recommendations for integrating spirituality into the nursing curriculum are offered.