Being Dedicated in the Film The American Nurse

Abstract

The focus of this humanbecoming hermeneutic study of graduate nursing students’ reflections is on being dedicated as portrayed in the documentary film, The American Nurse. Nursing students were invited to a public screening of the film, with the director, Carolyn Jones, and asked to write a brief reflective essay on “what is the meaning of being dedicated depicted in the film The American Nurse.” The perspective is to be the humanbecoming school of thought. The participants were 20 nurses either in a graduate or doctoral nursing program at the time of this study. The emergent meanings of the study are offered to enhance knowledge and understanding of being dedicated. The use of documentary film to expand graduate nursing students’ awareness of global issues is also considered.