Ferguson, Liley, Miller 1

Sabrina Ferguson, Catherine Liley, David Miller

Nancy Roche
Writing 1010-018
24 November 2014
Effects of Literacies on Nursing Students
Through research and observation we have concluded that the practices taught in the
school of nursing should be questioned despite their social prominence. Information taught by
the University of Utah Nursing Program is not necessarily wrong, it is merely our conclusion that
all practices should be questioned in order for society to progress. There are numerous instances
in the history of the scientific community being proven wrong despite years of social acceptance.
The practice of blind acceptance is crippling to any society, and the nursing literacy is no
exception.
In our history there is no shortage in examples of human error. Over and over again we
prove ourselves wrong and still believe that our newest theory is without flaw. The nursing
community is no exception to this trend. Practices taught to nurses have not always been
appropriate for the patients needs, and sometimes are even harmful to the patient. In the early
twentieth century nurses were taught to apply antacid to pressure ulcers in order to dry them
out. Although we now know wounds heal best under moist conditions. In the 1800s neurologist
Silas Weir Mitchell pioneered the rest cure. The principles behind the cure are best illustrated in
Charlotte Gilmans short story Yellow Wallpaper. In the story a woman suffering from manic
depression is forced to a completely inactive lifestyle as her treatment. She was forbidden from
physical activity or creative expression, especially writing. Her mental deterioration in the story
was classic of women who received similar treatments. This goes to show that practices taught to

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nurses have historically been riddled with errors and inaccuracies. The treatments being taught to
nursing students are not necessarily harmful to patients, but constant questioning is prudent
nonetheless.
The practices taught in nursing school may not be the best way to help those with medical
needs. In many documented cases, universities and colleges have graduated many nurses who
did not posses the necessary skills to provide proper health care to patients. Everyone is different
and learns at a different pace, but when an "unsafe student" is let into the work place, it puts
patients at risk. "...the term "unsafe student" is used to describe students whose level of clinical
practice is questionable with regard to competence, whose knowledge and psychomotor skills are
lacking, or whose motivation or interpersonal skills are less than adequate..."(Luhanga, 257)
These unsafe students are quickly overwhelmed and are triggered into making potentially lifethreatening mistakes. The fault does not rest solely on the students, but also on the textbooks
used.
Nursing is a practice that is learned through a two-step program: text or classroom based
and experience or practice. The text or classroom-based literacies are where the majority of
learning is done; or should be done. This is the time where a student learns all about the human
body, general nursing duties, patient care etc. Without the adequate amount of information,
students are put into situations where they aren't prepared, resulting in unhappy or hurt patients.
"Only 2% of the overall content and 1.4% of chapters in nursing texts were related to EOL care.
Based on the analysis, many deficiencies were identified in the texts, including inaccurate
information and a lack of information regarding critical EOL topics." (Ferrell B) When EOL
care, or end of life care is not taught in full, students are forced to learn through experience and

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mistakes. When thrown into the nursing environment and forced to quickly adapt, students often
feel emotional repercussions.
Practices of the college of nursing could result in emotional damage to students. When a
student is ready to make the transition from the classroom to a hospital, they are sent unprepared
for all of the stressors that the occupation encounters. In the nursing community, there are many
factors that can cause a student to become drained. "...three sources of stress: (a) from the
physical environment, (b) from the psychological environment, and (c) from the social
environment."(Storduer, 535) This article goes on further to show that these stressors include: the
workload (a), death and dying (b), and conflict with patients and others employees (c). The
effects of these factors can greatly decrease productivity, attention, reliability, and overall patient
care.
Every nursing job includes the daily struggles of physical, emotional and social stresses,
but for some psychological stress is added. When students have preexisting mental disorders,
symptoms often worsened during college and post-graduate education. "Studies report a general
increase in the severity of and extent of mental health problems among college/university
students." (Chernomas M) When mental disease is added to the other factors, a student can
become completely burned out. When this point is reached, the students studies, personal life
and patient care are all negatively affected.
Practices taught in the medical field may not be ideal to help or connect with patients
emotionally. It is important for nurses to connect with patients and makes them feel more
comfortable and trustworthy. A nurse learns to go from one task to another quick and efficient,
but sometimes thats not the best way. One participant wrote in to complain about what he
called chart Nazis, nurses who spend more time making sure charts have been properly

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updated than worrying about patient care. The nurses spend more time sitting around talking,
drinking coffee and charting than taking care of patients. (Johnson, 9) This would be an
example of a practice that does not benefit the patients. A nurse can easily become distracted
with other work and neglect their patient or patients. Nurses should know how to manage their
time and balance it between work and patients; but in the hectic hospital setting, this can be
difficult.
Practices can also give a warped view of reality to nurses. When nurses are learning all
the medical literacies, they usually aren't working with live patients or in real situations. When a
new nurse is put in a severe health situation they dont know how to act, but just have to adjust in
order to keep the patient calm and act professional. Nurses have to have some extraordinary
traits such as, patience, friendly nature, compassion, love for others and the ability to feel the
pain of others(Psychology and counseling career center), but in order for the nurse to possess
those traits they need to practice. When a student is first becoming a nurse its difficult to
understand what emotions they need unless they have experience in the work environment. This
can be a setback for some nurses or even a wake up call that they might not be able to handle the
disturbance or death of a patient. The medical field needs to emphasize how important it is to
stay calm, adjust emotions for the patients comfort, and make sure to keep update on literacies.
When a literacy becomes more prominent in a culture its practices start to permeate
across social boundaries. If a certain domain becomes prominent enough it can have almost total
control over a society's beliefs. The medical community as a whole is a perfect example of this;
most views adopted by it are adopted by society. This is usually not a bad thing. As a scientific
community the college of nursing bases its practices on educated reasoning and study. So
practices are almost always accurateuntil theyre not. In the 1940s, doctors across the country

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endorsed tobacco not only as noncarcinogenic but to treat a variety of ailments. Cigarettes in
particular were prescribed to stimulate digestion, prevent tooth decay, and even encourage
physical development. This notion was accepted and taught in all medical communities and
became popular belief across the entire country. Sometimes a community will become too
dependent on a literacy for information and turn a blind eye to logic.
All nurses have made a commitment to help and aid anyone who needs medical
assistance. In order to do this to the best of their abilities an education current and accurate is
necessary. For a nurse to complete their job, they must look at the information they are being
given with an analytical eye. To ensure they can give the best care possible, this analytical eye
must always be kept open. Nursing is a very challenging and demanding field to be in and it
requires a large amount of dedication and emotional strength. All nurses are required to
experience a large array of stressors on a daily basis and are vital assets to the medical
community. A student should always search for the best and most accurate information in order
to succeed and fulfill their commitment to help those in need.

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Johnson, Carrie. Bad Blood: Doctor-Nurse Behavior Problems Impact Patient Care. American
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Luhanga, Florence, Olive Yonge, and Florence Myrick. Hallmarks of Unsafe Practice: What
Preceptors Know. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development 24.6 (2008): 257-64.
Lippincott Nursing Center. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.
M, Chernomas W., and Shapiro C. Stress, Depression, and Anxiety among Undergraduate
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Psychology in the Nursing Field. Psychology and Counseling Career Center. N.p., 23 Apr.
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Stiles, Anne. The Rest Cure, 1873-1925. BRANCH: Britain, Representation
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Nineteenth-Century History. Ed.

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Stordeur, Sabine, William DHoore, and Christian Vandenburghe. Leadership, Organizational

Stress, and Emotional Exhaustion among Hospital Nursing Staff. Journal of Advanced
Nursing 35.4 (2001): 533-42. Wiley Online Library. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.