Caregiver education: feminist or male model?

Most nurses have become aware that they work in patriarchal organizations and understand how oppressive and destructive this is to their career and their work. Few nurses recognize that this same male model dominates many nursing education programs, even those designed, delivered, and controlled by nurses. A study was undertaken to determine the learning needs of critical care nurses in Atlantic Canada and identify obstacles that prevented them from meeting their needs. The findings and the subsequent development of an education program are described. The findings are related to feminist values and feminist-based models of education that seem to be congruent with women's needs.