Improving Student Receptivity to Abortion Care Education

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Bioethics
• Reproductive Health

Background:

• Compassionate patient care, particularly for women considering abortion, is improved by fostering resilience in nursing students facing moral complexity.
• Effective nursing education requires comprehensive materials on abortion care to cultivate knowledgeable providers and informed citizens.
• Student resistance or conflict regarding abortion topics presents a challenge in educational settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore methods for enhancing nursing students' resilience when confronting moral complexity in abortion care.
• To improve the quality of nursing education on abortion, addressing student concerns and promoting ethical understanding.
• To facilitate more productive and collegial classroom discussions on sensitive professional practice issues.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of an optional, anonymous pre-class survey to gather student concerns about abortion care.
• Utilizing survey feedback to guide the design and delivery of in-class educational materials.
• Facilitating structured classroom dialogue to examine ethical dilemmas in abortion care.

Main Results:

• The pre-class survey provided insights into student perspectives, enabling instructors to tailor educational content.
• Classroom dialogue became more collegial and less confrontational, allowing for deeper examination of the topic.
• Students demonstrated improved ability to navigate ethical dilemmas related to abortion care.

Conclusions:

• Integrating resilience-building strategies and addressing student concerns through surveys can enhance nursing education on abortion care.
• Improved educational approaches lead to more compassionate patient care and better-prepared nursing professionals.
• Facilitating open dialogue on complex ethical issues is crucial for nursing student development.