Pedagogy, power and practice ethics: Clinical teaching in psychiatric/mental health settings

Carol Ewashen, Annette Lane

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    16 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Often, baccalaureate nursing students initially approach a psychiatric mental health practicum with uncertainty, and even fear. They may feel unprepared for the myriad complex practice situations encountered. In addition, memories of personal painful life events may be vicariously evoked through learning about and listening to the experiences of those diagnosed with mental disorders. When faced with such challenging situations, nursing students often seek counsel from the clinical and/or classroom faculty. Pedagogic boundaries may begin to blur in the face of student distress. For the nurse educator, several questions arise: Should a nurse educator provide counseling to students? How does one best negotiate the boundaries between 'counselor', and 'caring educator'? What are the limits of a caring and professional pedagogic relation? What different knowledges provide guidance and to what differential consequences for ethical pedagogic relationships? This paper offers a comparative analysis of three philosophical stances to examine differences in key assumptions, pedagogic positioning, relationships of power/knowledge, and consequences for professional ethical pedagogic practices. While definitive answers are difficult, the authors pose several questions for consideration in discerning how best to proceed and under what particular conditions.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)255-262
    Number of pages8
    JournalNursing Inquiry
    Volume14
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Sep. 2007

    Keywords

    • Clinical teaching
    • Ethics
    • Nursing education
    • Psychiatric mental health nursing
    • Student-teacher relationship

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