Community Orientation Programme:An Innovative and Integrative Teaching Learning Strategy for Nursing Students

Introduction: The nursing care provided by the nurses may be influenced by their knowledge of the people whom they are serving. Community Orientation Programme (COP) for nurses in the beginning of their nursing profession will sensitize the nursing students to provide culturally sensitive care to patients who come to hospital. A survey was conducted after the community orientation programme to identify the feedback of the students regarding COP. Among 70 -students 50 % of the students expressed that the knowledge acquired regarding activities of COP was Excellent and 28 % of them said it was very good. The skill learnt was Excellent 25.9%, Very good 38.9 %. Majority of the students 42% and 37% reported that they had an “Excellent” and “Very Good” Experience on community exposure respectively. Community Orientation Programme is a phenomenal teaching strategy which enabled the students to be aware of the actual community living of people and to understand the patients while planning the care in the hospital and community.