Learning through symbol, myth, model, and ritual

An interdisciplinary course entitled "Religious and Spiritual Issues in Health Care" was offered for nursing students, medical students, and seminary students. The course was designed to explore religious responses to human suffering and to examine the role of different health care professionals with regard to spiritual concerns of patients.The identification of symbol, the retelling of myth, the presentation of model, and the enactment of ritual enhanced the learning process. In the context of the universality of human suffering, professional differences were recognized and respected.Teamwork in health care is a process which can be learned cognitively and affectively by affirming and sharing professional values with other health care professions.