263011 An innovative course intersecting vulnerable populations and health policy within a BSN curriculum

Monday, October 29, 2012

Sara Hart, PhD, RN , College of Nursing, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Teresa Garrett, MS, RN , Division of Disease Control & Prevention, Utah Dept of Health, Salt Lake City, UT
Background: There is a widely recognized need for nurses to more fully participate in decision-making regarding the larger contexts of health and healthcare. The College of Nursing at the University of Utah has implemented a new concept-based curriculum for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree; this curriculum utilizes an innovative approach to teach concepts of vulnerable populations, social determinants of health and health policy. Description: This diversity designated course is dedicated to the study of vulnerable populations at the intersection of social determinants of health and health policy. The curriculum and teaching methods serve to illustrate the interplay that occurs between the health status of vulnerable populations and the governmental policies which directly, or indirectly, affect health. Teaching methods and outcomes will be described, including: interaction with multiple vulnerable populations and health policy decision makers; frequent opportunity for self-reflection, including the identification of personally held biases; and the skills necessary to effectively influence policy decision makers. Lessons Learned: The continuous overlay of concepts within this course and throughout the curriculum has resulted in better preparation of students for active engagement in meaningful advocacy and public health nursing practice. Recommendations: Early and frequent emphasis on the complex and dynamic drivers of health prepare students to integrate knowledge regarding social determinants of health into a framework for advocacy that extends beyond the bedside, and far beyond the walls of any one organization.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Public health or related nursing
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Describe teaching methods used to illustrate the interaction between vulnerable populations, social determinants of health, and health policy, for students in an undergraduate nursing program. Identify opportunities for teaching the concepts of vulnerable populations, social determinants of health, and health policy for students in health professions.

Keywords: Nursing Education, Vulnerable Populations

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have more than a decade of experience teaching in Higher Education, Nursing and Health Administration, with extensive experience in curriculum and course design. I have a record of scholarly publication in the field of Health Policy.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.