EDUCATION RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION ABSTRACTS
Please note: All posters will be displayed in
Salons 10-12.
THURSDAY, 5:30-6:15 PM
Cornman BJ, Carr C, Heitkemper M.
The effect of a faculty camp educational intervention
on integrating complementary and alternative medicine content into nursing
curricula.
University of Washington School of Nursing magicj@u.washington.edu
PURPOSE: To enhance complementary and alternative
medicine (CAM) content in a School of Nursing (SON) curriculum and to
increase SON faculty knowledge and understanding about 1) the range
of CAM therapies, 2) the theoretic and cultural backgrounds of these
therapies, and 3) their potential contributions to the health of diverse
populations.
METHODS: In 2002, the SON partnered with a natural
health sciences university on a 5 year plan to offer a 4-week intensive
ÔCAM Camp' for SON faculty members and medical students from across
the country. The 4-week educational program taught by providers with
CAM expertise introduced attendees to various CAM modalities through
didactic and experiential learning. Faculty attendees completed pre
and post camp surveys to assess their familiarity with various CAM approaches,
their attitudes about efficacy of CAM therapies, and a self-rated score
on thirteen CAM competencies. Follow-up interviews were conducted to
determine whether faculty experiences at CAM Camp were associated with
changes in the SON curriculum.
RESULTS: On the post CAM Camp survey attendees
rated themselves as more familiar with CAM approaches and were more
likely to have a positive opinion about the effectiveness of various
CAM approaches in offering health benefits. Statistically significant
increases in competencies were evident in each of the 13 competencies
rated with four competencies at p<0.01. At the same time, the number
of required and elective courses containing CAM content increased as
did the CAM content in continuing education conferences offered by the
SON.
CONCLUSION: A short, intensive experiential
and didactic program offered by providers and educators with CAM expertise
significantly increased faculty knowledge about CAM therapies. Participation
in the CAM Camp was associated with more positive attitudes about the
health benefits of CAM and with greater inclusion of CAM content in
graduate and undergraduate courses. Additional benefits included new
teaching and research relationships between the faculty at the two institutions,
interdisciplinary dialog among participants, and increased opportunities
for student research.
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