From Ha-Ha to a-HA!: Using Humor to Transform Nursing Education by Shirley K. Trout, PhD, MEd

JNJ a magnet pulling humor people together

When I discovered the original JNJ 20 years ago, it was like a magnet attracting people from around the world who recognized the value of humor in nursing. I wasn’t even a nurse, but I always felt included in that interesting, quirky community. Now it’s time to welcome an entire new generation to this wonderful community through JNJ’s rebirth.

I’m still not a nurse, but I am contributing to nursing education redesign as a veteran curriculum designer. Today’s thought leaders, such as The Carnegie Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, are united in their cry for nursing education to transform and teach for understanding, rather than just memorization. And guess what helps make this transformation faster and more effectively than any teaching technique? HUMOR! (more…)