Lecture: Four Nursing Theorists

Nurse educators are finding innovative ways to deliver information that involves active learning. The "sage on the stage" is another sacred cow.

I've decided that instead of a lecture or power point presentation about four nursing theorists, I'll present nursing theory versions of "two cows" theory.

Why? "two cow" jokes are widly circulated on the internet (see for yourself-- google two cows) they are reported to be a good example of "cross-cultural humor." They are concise, illustrative. irreverant and just plain fun:

Florence Nightingale has two cows. One got shot in the Crimean war, (and became a holy cow) the other helped her write "Notes" which moo-tivated the development of professional nursing.

Madeleine Leininger (Transcultural nursing) has two cows. While milking them she noticed the differences and similarities of their bovine beliefs, values, and cowpaths. Madeline was able to provide culturally congruent, meaningful, and beneficial milk from one, and allowed the other to wander freely to exploring the (how now) brown cow-nter culture.

Martha Rogers (Science of Unitary Being) has two cows. They are unceasingly transforming bovine energy with the rest of the universe. Within their view there is no dichotomie of cows, both cows are essentially one inseparable whole. Their milk is the actualizing of cow potential. One cow drifted off into space…

Jean Watson (Caring Science) has two cows. She cares deeply for both of them and feels united and connected to them. The cows get dizzy from moo-ving on cowpaths that move in concentric circles of caring from individual, to others, to community to world to planet earth, to the universe. They have no time to give milk.

What are some sacred cows in nursing education?

I've been thinking about this question for weeks now, trying to write a scholarly paper about the subject. However, as rich as the subject is it is much more fun to post a blog about what I think some of the sacred cows are-- because I can write in a more conversational style- and I can add pictures!!

Let me start this conversation with a little story that illustrates the first sacred cow I want to discuss-- educational models...


Two nurse educators were traveling on a train, returning from a conference about innovation in nursing education. They were discussing a lecture they had attended about curricula. Highly structured, and rich in content good curricula emphasized measurable, behavioral outcomes. They were remarking on the merits of what to teach first year nursing students when they noticed some cows grazing in a pasture along the tracks:

"What a cute bunch of cows!” one remarked.
"Not a bunch, herd”, her friend replied.
"Heard of what?”
"Herd of cows.”
"Of course I’ve heard of cows- there is a bunch of brown cows grazing by the tracks.”
"No, a cow herd.”
"I don’t think the cow heard. She didn’t attend the lecture!”

The emphesis on content has become a sacred cow. The framework most nursing programs are still using is the Tyler Model which follows a liner, content-laden, structured and sequential model set forth in Tyler’s Basic principles of Curriculm & Instruction(1949). Objectives are followed by content, which is organized into educational experiences that are then evaluated as to whether or not the objectives were met. I think it is time to consider learning models and apply current research to nursing education.

Next, I'll post a comment about the educational technique of lecture.