Emphasize writing skills. Mastering the art of writing good prose is one of the fundamental areas of expertise that most liberal arts students are expected to develop. Writing can easily be incorporated into many areas of nursing study. Ask students who are studying how to maintain a proper sterile field to write a paper about the procedures involved. Have students who are learning biochemistry techniques to write a paper on the history of the development of the microscope. Administer tests that ask students to write essays in addition to completing a multiple choice section on all exams. Teach students about how to properly cite a source as well as the dangers of plagiarism.
Bring in outside texts. Close examination of textual meaning is one important aspect of any effectual liberal arts education. Use outside texts in addition to standardized classroom textbooks. An outside text can be anything from a newspaper account of nursing techniques a hundred years ago to modern-day transcriptions of patient experiences while undergoing surgery. Have students read such texts out loud in class each day. Ask students to find similar texts of their own and relate them to current classroom work.
Discuss current issues in nursing today. A liberal arts education should help students understand that one may approach a subject from multiple points of view and that such viewpoints can have validity and meaning. Bring in copies of articles in nursing journals that illustrate problems that a nurse may encounter while on duty. For example, patients may have financial problems and find themselves unable to pay for desperately needed treatments. Ask students to think about what a nurse's roles, duties and obligations are in such a case. Push students to explore varying solutions to this problem and the broader societal implications brought up by the article.
Practice public speaking exercises. Successful communication is another important aspect of a liberal arts education. Many nursing jobs require the jobholder to be comfortable with speaking in front of groups. A maternity nurse may give classes in how to breastfeed a newborn. School nurses often teach classes in health as well as tend to the medical needs of children. Ask one student every class meeting to give a brief class presentation on the day's homework. The student should be able to walk her fellow students through all aspects of the assignment using appropriate language and a clear speaking voice that can easily be heard.