Ferguson, Liley, Miller 1

Sabrina Ferguson, Catherine Liley, David Miller

Nancy Roche
Writing 1010-018
4 December 2014
Literacy in Nursing: The Effects of Literacies on Nursing Students
Introduction
Through research and observation we have found that some of the literacies taught by the
University of Utah Nursing Program are not always accurate or the most ideal. Information
taught by the University of Utah Nursing Program is not necessarily wrong, it is merely our
conclusion that all practices should be questioned in order for society to progress. There are
numerous instances in the history of the scientific community being proven wrong despite years
of social acceptance. Some of the literacies taught are becoming a problem in many aspects of
the profession. With effects on students, coworkers, and patients there is much room for
speculation. The practice of blind acceptance is crippling to any society, and the nursing literacy
is no exception. Practices taught in the school of nursing should be questioned despite their
social prominence.
Literacies in History
In our history there is no shortage in examples of human error. Over and over again we
prove ourselves wrong and still believe that our newest theory is without flaw. The nursing
community is no exception to this trend. Practices taught to nurses have not always been
appropriate for the patients needs, and have even been shown to be harmful to the patient. In the
early twentieth century nurses were taught to apply antacid to pressure ulcers in order to dry
them out. Though we now know wounds heal best under moist conditions. In the 1800s

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neurologist Silas Weir Mitchell pioneered the rest cure. The principles behind the cure are best
illustrated in Charlotte Gilmans short story Yellow Wallpaper. In the story a woman suffering
from manic depression is forced to a completely inactive lifestyle as her treatment. She was
forbidden from physical activity or creative expression, especially writing. Her mental
deterioration in the story was classic of women who received similar treatments at the time. This
goes to show that practices taught to nurses have historically been riddled with errors and
inaccuracies. The treatments being taught to nursing students are not necessarily harmful to
patients, but constant questioning is prudent nonetheless.
Literacies Being Taught
The practices taught in nursing schools may not be the most effective way to help those
with medical needs. In many documented cases, universities and colleges have graduated many
nurses who did not possess the necessary skills to provide proper health care to patients.
Although everyone is unique, and learns at a different pace, unsafe students let into the
workplace can put patients at risk. "...the term "unsafe student" is used to describe students
whose level of clinical practice is questionable with regard to competence, whose knowledge and
psychomotor skills are lacking, or whose motivation or interpersonal skills are less than
adequate..."(Luhanga, 257) These unsafe students are quickly overwhelmed and are triggered
into making potentially life-threatening mistakes. The fault does not rest solely on the students,
but also on the textbooks used. This is yet another way in which students can be mislead during
their educational careers. It is not a students fault for graduating underprepared in to their field
of work, in fact they are the victims in this situation.
Nursing is a practice that is learned through a two-step program: text based and practical
learning. The text or classroom-based literacies are where the majority of learning is done; or

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should be done. This is the time where a student learns all about the human body, general
nursing duties, patient care etc. Without the adequate information, students are put into situations
where they aren't prepared, resulting in unhappy or hurt patients. "Only 2% of the overall content
and 1.4% of chapters in nursing texts were related to EOL care. Based on the analysis, many
deficiencies were identified in the texts, including inaccurate information and a lack of
information regarding critical EOL topics." (B.) When EOL care, or end of life care, is not taught
in full, students are forced to learn through experience and mistakes. When thrown into the
nursing environment and forced to quickly adapt, students often feel emotional repercussions.
Effects on a Student
Practices of the college of nursing can easily result in emotional damage to students.
When a student is ready to make the transition from classroom to a hospital, they are sent
unprepared for all of the stressors that the occupation encounters. In the nursing community,
there are many factors that can cause a student to become drained. "...three sources of stress: (a)
from the physical environment, (b) from the psychological environment, and (c) from the social
environment."(Storduer, 535) This article goes on further to show that these stressors include: the
difficult workload, death and dying, and conflict with patients and others employees. The effects
of these factors can greatly decrease productivity, attention, reliability, and overall patient care.
Every nursing job includes the daily struggles of physical, emotional and social stressors,
but for some, psychological stress is added. When students have preexisting mental disorders,
symptoms often worsen during college and post-graduate education. "Studies report a general
increase in the severity of and extent of mental health problems among college/university
students." (M.) When mental disease is added to the other factors, a student can become
completely burned out. When this point is reached, the students studies, personal life and patient

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care are all negatively affected. It is the job of the nursing college to identify and assist these
students; failure to do so is a failure to educate.
Practices can also give a warped view of reality to nurses. When nurses are learning all
the medical literacies, they usually arent working with live patients or in real situations. When a
new nurse is put into a severe health situation they dont know how to act, and just have to adjust
in order to keep the patient calm and act professional. Nurses have to have some extraordinary
traits such as, patience, friendly nature, compassion, love for others and the ability to feel the
pain of others(Psychology), but in order for the nurse to possess those traits they need to
practice. When a student is first becoming a nurse, its difficult to understand what emotions they
need unless they have experience in the work environment. This can be a setback for some
nurses or even a wakeup call that they might not be able to handle the disturbance or death of a
patient. The medical field needs to emphasize how important it is to stay calm, adjust emotions
to the patients comfort, and make sure to keep updated on literacies.
Effects on Patient Care
Practices taught in the medical field may not be ideal to help or connect with patients
emotionally. It is important for nurses to connect with patients and makes them feel more
comfortable and trusting. A nurse learns to go from one task to another quickly and efficiently,
but sometimes that is not the best way. One participant wrote in to complain about what he
called chart Nazis, nurses who spend more time making sure charts have been properly
updated than worrying about patient care. The nurses spend more time sitting around talking,
drinking coffee and charting than taking care of patients. (Johnson, 9). This would be an
example of a practice that does not benefit the patients. A nurse can easily become distracted
with other work and neglect their patient or patients. Nurses should know how to manage their

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time and balance it between work and patients; but in the hectic hospital setting, this can be
difficult. This a phenomena that should be addressed in the College of Nursing, making sure
students understand how to prioritize and remain professional is a huge part of their careers.
Social Effects
When a literacy becomes more prominent in a culture its practices start to permeate
across social boundaries. If a certain domain becomes prominent enough it can have almost total
control over a society's beliefs. The medical community as a whole is a perfect example of this;
most views adopted by it are adopted by society. This is usually not a bad thing. As a scientific
community, the college of nursing bases its practices on educated reasoning and study. So
practices are almost always accurate until theyre not. In the 1940s, doctors across the country
endorsed tobacco not only as non poisonous but to treat a variety of ailments. Cigarettes in
particular were prescribed to stimulate digestion, prevent tooth decay, and even encourage
physical development. This notion was accepted and taught in all medical communities and
became popular belief across the entire country. Sometimes a community will become too
dependent on a literacy for information and turn a blind eye to logic. It is not the communities
job to educate each individual on every medical practice and study, it is the responsibility of
those who have committed their lives to the field. Nursing schools are responsible for relaying
accurate information to their pupils, but the pupils must be prepare for them to fail.
Conclusion
All nurses have made a commitment to help and aid anyone who needs medical
assistance. In order to do this to the best of their abilities, an education current and accurate is
necessary. For a nurse to complete their job, they must look at the information they are being
given with an analytical eye. To ensure they can give the best possible care, this analytical eye

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must always be kept open. Nursing is a very challenging and demanding field to be in and it
requires a large amount of dedication and emotional strength. All nurses are required to
experience a large array of stressors on a daily basis and are vital assets to the medical
community. This comes with its own array of responsibilities. The responsibility of ensuring a
nursing students success and accuracy falls upon both the student and the institution. Both
should always search for the best and most accurate information in order to fulfill their
commitment to help those in need.

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