Storytelling to Engage Staff Nurses in Continuing Education: A Proven Approach

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Professional Development
• Adult Learning Theory

Background:

• Engaging staff nurses in continuing education presents challenges for nursing professional development specialists (NPDSs).
• Traditional methods may not resonate with all nurses, particularly those resistant to learning.
• Innovative strategies are needed to enhance participation and knowledge retention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the effectiveness of storytelling as a method to engage staff nurses in mandatory continuing education.
• To demonstrate how NPDSs can utilize personal narratives to overcome learning resistance.
• To provide practical examples and future guidance on incorporating storytelling in nursing professional development.

Main Methods:

• A personal story was shared by a nurse educator during a mandatory staff development session.
• The intervention involved 180 staff nurses.
• Qualitative observation of engagement and anecdotal feedback were considered.

Main Results:

• The personal story successfully engaged the staff nurses in the session.
• Storytelling served as an effective tool to capture the attention of nurses resistant to learning.
• The narrative approach fostered a more receptive learning environment.

Conclusions:

• Storytelling is a viable and effective strategy for NPDSs to engage staff nurses in continuing education.
• Personal narratives can bridge the gap in engaging reluctant learners.
• Future articles will offer further insights into story construction and presentation for NPDSs.