Nursing and Theater: Teaching Ethics Through the Arts.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Bioethics
• Medical Ethics Education

Background:

• Prelicensure nursing education must equip students with ethical and moral decision-making skills.
• Professional nurses require a strong ethical foundation for practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the use of theater as a pedagogical approach for teaching nursing ethics.
• To enhance ethical reasoning and accountability in prelicensure nursing students.

Main Methods:

• Students participated in simulated ethical scenarios using theater techniques.
• Roles included actors, directors, and discussion leaders.
• Focus on individual accountability and responsibility for actions.

Main Results:

• The theater approach facilitated active engagement with ethical dilemmas.
• Students demonstrated increased awareness of ethical responsibilities.
• Simulated scenarios promoted critical thinking and moral decision-making.

Conclusions:

• Theater offers a viable and engaging method for teaching nursing ethics.
• This approach prepares students for ethical challenges in professional nursing.
• Fostering accountability is crucial for developing ethically competent nurses.