Northern Ireland – State of the Arts? An evaluation of the use of the arts in teaching caring

In recent years, nursing literature has shown a growing interest in the use of the arts as a teaching medium in nurse education. This interest has been further fostered by the advent of the curriculum revolution, which has underlined the need for nurse educationalists to attempt more innovative teaching strategies in helping their students develop caring skills. However, little has been done to establish the extent to which this medium is actually being used by teachers. The authors report on a survey which was carried out across Northern Ireland to gather evidence on the use of this strategy from teachers of nursing, midwifery and health visiting.