Empowerment strategies in nursing education: a foundation for population-focused clinical studies

Building on the already substantial body of literature on education for population-focused practice, this article incorporates the teaching of empowerment strategies into this literature. These strategies provide a framework for teaching nursing students to promote the health of populations by shifting their focus of care to one that is compatible with principles of primary health care and health promotion within a context of health care reform. Since 1989, education for these shifts in practice has taken place within a clinical studies course on population-focused practice and has continued to evolve within an innovative nursing curriculum developed by The University of Victoria and its collaborative partners in nursing education in British Columbia, Canada. Faculty have worked to develop innovative teaching strategies and practica that provide students with opportunities to practice empowerment strategies with populations. Examples of how students have learned and practiced these strategies in a baccalaureate nursing program at the University College of the Cariboo in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada provide useful illustration of the shifts in nursing education that are needed to shape the next era of health care.