The Use of Story-Based Learning in a Women’s Health Course

• Published in: Journal for nurse practitioners 2020-07, Vol.16 (7), p.e93-e96
• Main Author: Theroux, Rosemary
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ambulatory care; Blogs; Clinical decision making; Clinical medicine; Collaborative learning; Core curriculum; Decision making; Gender differences; Health promotion; Health services; Knowledge; Learning; Midwifery; nurse practitioner education; Nurse practitioners; Nursing education; Pedagogy; Primary care; Reading; Reproductive health; story-based learning; Students; Teaching methods; trends in women’s health; Women; Womens health; women’s health
• ISSN: 1555-4155; 1878-058X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nurpra.2020.04.008

Demand for women’s health services is increasing. With the declining number of women’s health care nurse practitioners, it is important that primary care nurse practitioners be prepared to meet the need for women’s health care. An elective course in women’s health was created to increase women’s health content in a primary care graduate nurse practitioner program. This article describes the development of the course and the use of story-based learning as 1 of the teaching strategies. Positive student feedback about the use of stories in the course showed the effectiveness of this teaching strategy. •Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the use of women’s health services has risen. The need for services and providers is expected to increase.•Primary care nurse practitioners (NPs) are part of the multidisciplinary team caring for women.•NPs need to have adequate knowledge and skills to provide quality services to women.•A women’s health elective course can supplement the curriculum and increase the knowledge and skills of NP students.•An elective course using story-based learning can achieve this goal.•The strategy contributed to learning in the course.•Students rated this teaching strategy positively.