Teaching NPs about sexuality: the ins and outs
The purpose of this symposium is to discuss the current evidence regarding the attitudes and experiences of NPs towards discussing sexuality, including LGBT health, with their patients, and explore the implications of this research for NP education.
Although the World Health Organization considers sexuality to be one of the basic human needs, research suggests that nurses and NPs may have conflicting attitudes towards discussing sexuality with their patients, towards working with lesbian, gay and bisexual patients, and a knowledge deficit regarding sexuality related concerns.
During this symposium, the presenters will discuss findings from three recent research studies related to human sexuality and apply the findings to NP education. The discussion will focus specifically on: 1) what is known about the inclusion of sexuality currently in nursing education, 2) NPs attitudes towards discussing sexuality generally, and 3) NPs barriers and facilitators towards working specifically with sexual minority (lesbian, gay and bisexual) patients. Teaching case studies and clinical examples wil be used to foster dialogue among participants regarding why and how to include this information in NP clinical education, where discussions of sexuality fit into NP curricula and how to apply tenets of cultural competency to the care of sexual minorities.