The power of the past: A roadmap for integrating nursing history into the curriculum

J Prof Nurs. 2023 May-Jun:46:231-237. doi: 10.1016/j.profnurs.2023.03.016. Epub 2023 Apr 13.

Abstract

The inclusion of nursing history within the undergraduate and graduate nursing curricula has waxed and waned over the years. The 2021 publication by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, "The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Education," includes the expectation that nursing education curricula will include history content. This article aims to provide guidance to the nurse educator using a nursing history framework and a 5-step approach to integrate history into an already saturated curriculum. Through meaningful integration of nursing history at the course level with intentional alignment to existing course-level objectives, student learning will be enhanced. Student engagement with various historical sources will help students to achieve The Essentials' core competencies across the 10 Domains for Nursing. The various types of historical sources are explained and how to locate appropriate historical sources is included.

Keywords: Competencies; Curricula; History; Nurse/nursing; Primary source; Secondary source.

Publication types

  • Historical Article

MeSH terms

  • Curriculum
  • Education, Nursing*
  • Faculty, Nursing
  • History of Nursing*
  • Humans
  • Students, Nursing*