Building on the success of last year, The University of Dundee’s School of Nursing and Midwifery, 3rd year Nursing Students participated in events which coincided with Death Awareness week and their theoretical palliative care lectures.
The “before I die, I want to…….” walls ‘popped up’ again this year and gave students the opportunity to reflect on what is important to them, individually.
Death Cafes were used for the first time this year, as an educational forum, instead of the more traditional tutorial format. The Death Café approach sought to encourage students to consider death, dying and bereavement from a professional perspective. During previous classes, which ran last year, the students were introduced briefly to the concept of Death
Cafes and asked to suggest topics for conversation, which could be included in a Conversation Menu. These were collated, adapted and a Conversation Menu was produced. This provided a framework to support and encourage conversation, in a relaxed atmosphere. The students rose to the occasion, bringing snacks, drinks and nibbles to share! The Death Cafes created a real buzz and the students engaged in a variety of conversations. For example; they encouraged consideration and lots of conversation around whether euphemisms were used within health care, whether there is a taboo about death, dying and bereavement in health care, advance care planning, media portrayal of death and what can nurses do to help communities become more open about death, dying and bereavement.
We are always looking for new ways to present and encourage discussion around death, dying and bereavement, in order to enhance the students learning experience. The materials and resources available from the Good Life, Good Death, and Good Grief and Dying Matters websites, allow us to try new innovations, keeping us up to date with current trends!
Lynn Griffin, Lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Dundee
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