Faculty Q&A

Abstract

<table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" width="550"> <tbody><tr> <td><p></p><h3>Send in your questions for Faculty Q&A!</h3> <p>We want your questions not only about issues related to how to teach and instructional strategies, but also about other issues faced by faculty (both new and established). Here’s an example: </p> <p>“I was shocked to have a student accuse me of sexism. The student is male and says there is an inherent bias against male students, as I have answered questions posed to me by female students when we were in the change room preparing for a clinical shift. How can I guard against this type of unintentional problem in the future?” </p> <p><b>Here’s what you need to know: </b></p> <ol> <li> Questions need to be short and, preferably, include a specific scenario or examples.</li> <li>Submit questions that address practical issues faced by faculty and can be answered in a few paragraphs (see example above).</li><li>E-mail your questions, along with your full name and credentials, to Karen G. Stanwood, ELS, Executive Editor, at <a href="mailto:kstanwood@slackinc.com">kstanwood@slackinc.com</a>.</li></ol></br></td> </tr> </tbody></table> <h4>EXCERPT</h4> <P>At many religious universities, there is tension related to how the university can maintain its religious identity while creating an environment that fosters academic freedom. Nurse educators, however, are challenged to present scientific information that is not discriminatory while acknowledging this tension. As part of nursing curricula, many health behaviors and personal choices made by patients are addressed that represent areas considered to be sinful or immoral by the teachings of the respective church. Conversations related to condom use, safe-sex practices, and contraception; treatment of gay and lesbian groups as vulnerable populations; and abortion are examples of topics about which tension exists. In one of my classes, a student questioned why I would identify the gay and lesbian community as a vulnerable population and discuss it at this religious institution. How would you respond to this student? How could you make a statement to others in class who may have felt the same way but didn’t say anything?</P> <P>Recently, faculty members were informed that a student in our program had set up an Internet blog in which she discusses her classroom and clinical experiences. What guidelines are nursing programs using for students who set up blogs, as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) could be a concern with posted information?</P> <P>Our state has recently approved that 25% of clinical hours in undergraduate nursing programs can be in simulation experiences where patient simulators are used. We have not used simulation in the past in our program, but I wondered if there are specific kinds of clinical experiences that would be a good place to start?</P>