Historical trauma-based education and nursing professional identity: A qualitative analysis of reflective essays
AI Summary
Historical trauma-based education may provide reflective space for professional identity formation, acting as a moral compass for ethical sense-making.
Trauma-informed pedagogy with structured reflective writing supports empathy, cultural humility, recognition of dehumanisation, resilience, leadership and advocacy for vulnerable patients.
Future studies should assess whether these immediate reflective commitments endure and translate into sustained clinical practice and professional responsibility.
BACKGROUND: Professional identity formation is a central goal of nursing education, yet less is known about how students connect historical trauma-based learning with ethical nursing practice. Holocaust and genocide education may support moral reflection, empathy, advocacy, and professional responsibility when delivered through trauma-informed pedagogical safeguards.
AIM: To explore how registered nurses enrolled in a Master of Science in Nursing-Nurse Practitioner program interpreted Holocaust and genocide education and connected this learning to professional identity work and anticipated practice.
DESIGN: Qualitative study using reflexive thematic analysis.
METHODS: Fourteen de-identified reflective essays written after a structured educational unit on the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide were analyzed. Analysis was primarily inductive and informed by sensitizing concepts from nursing ethics, trauma-informed education, and professional identity formation.
RESULTS: Six themes were identified: historical awareness as a moral compass; empathy and cultural humility; recognition of dehumanization and structural violence; resilience and advocacy; leadership and professional responsibility; and reflective self-awareness. Students described historical trauma-based learning as a catalyst for ethical sense-making, emotional processing, and value clarification. They connected this learning to intended professional commitments, including safeguarding dignity, challenging discrimination, attending to trauma histories, and advocating for vulnerable patients.
CONCLUSIONS: Historical trauma-based education may provide a meaningful reflective space for professional identity work in graduate nursing education. The findings suggest that, when supported by trauma-informed pedagogy and reflective writing, difficult historical content can help students articulate ethical commitments and anticipated nursing responsibilities. Future studies should examine whether these immediate reflective commitments are sustained over time and translated into practice.
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