Asian Bioethics Review

This study aims to carry out the needs assessment for teaching/learning nursing ethics for Master of Nursing (MN) students, to review existing curriculum and to develop a nursing ethics education module for teaching nursing ethics to students. First-year MN students from the School of Nursing, Chitwan Medical College, Bharatpur, Nepal were invited to participate in the study. Data was collected with self-reported, pre-tested questionnaires and analysed for the descriptive statistics. The current MN curriculum of Tribhuvan University, Institute of Medicine, Nepal was reviewed and a nursing ethics module developed based on needs assessment and in consultation with students. Out of 16 students, 12 (75%) participated in the study. All were aware of the content of nursing ethics in their curriculum and recommended updating the content, with a focus on context-based practical issues. More than two-thirds suggested small-group, case-based presentations/discussions as a suitable teaching/learning method. The majority (83.3%) mentioned case analyses as an appropriate tool for assessment. No separate course for nursing ethics is included in the curriculum. Unit 4—“Ethical and bioethical issues in health and nursing”—is one of the seven units of the course “trends and issues in nursing”. Subsequently, gaps in the existing curriculum related to nursing ethics were identified, and the nursing ethics education module was developed. Teaching/learning of nursing ethics has been initiated. Such steps may enrich the capacity of nurses in resolving ethical dilemmas, the quality of care and the virtue of the profession.