ABSTRACT
Nurse educators are examining the field’s signature pedagogies, like clinical rotations and simulation, and are turning to new approaches, like narrative and problem-based pedagogies or study-abroad experiences. Narratives serve as a valid source of data in assessing students’ cultural competence, which is an essential professional quality in nursing. The pedagogical approaches to clinical nursing education must incorporate the realities of health care environment. The two emerging themes recognize the dynamic tension in nursing education between default approaches, like didactic lectures, and signature process approaches, like debriefing sessions in clinical or simulation activities, in other words, between covering content and fostering critical clinical thinking and practice. The adaptations of liberal arts pedagogies in a nursing education context prepare clinical practice nurses who think critically and act compassionately and ethically. In examining the range of National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses preparation pedagogies, a review of the literature suggests three types, each with its own benefits: knowledge-driven, process-driven, or holistic pedagogies.
