Cinemeducation: teaching end-of-life issues using feature films

Given the rapidly escalating older adult population and the need to strengthen content on end-of-life care in nursing curricula, finding creative strategies to encourage student thinking about the dying process and personal choice in end-of-life care is a timely challenge for nurse educators. There is an evolving body of literature in a variety of disciplines on cinemeducation, or the use of films to promote learning and personal awareness. This article describes an innovative assignment incorporating feature films designed not only to enhance student knowledge of the stages and process of grief and the complexity of human reactions when facing end-of-life situations, but also to engage students in thinking about the importance of quality of life in palliative care. The assignment was given to students enrolled in a second-semester, junior-level advanced adult health nursing course. Faculty and student evaluations of the assignment are discussed, and suggestions for selecting films and structuring such an assignment are proposed.