Creative teaching strategies provide variety to learners and a way for peers and faculty to engage with each other. With a goal to support professional identity growth, photography serves as the medium to explore paradigm elements of environment, health, person, and nurse within the context of clinical learning. The concept is introduced as the teacher shares a published vignette of nursing care of her family member. Through reflective writing, students consider the elements and reflect on the privilege of our work. Students then take photographs to represent each paradigm element and a rich clinical event. This assignment also has been successful using 1 photograph to represent an assigned paradigm and associated clinical event. Policy prohibits pictures of people, which promotes the creative process in how best to represent the concept. I compile a PowerPoint presentation with photographs and vignettes that are shared by students in a devoted class session. Students are responsive to the insights of their peers, and feedback is positive. Role identity is enhanced in a creative and affirming learning environment.

Submitted by: Carolyn J. Lee, PhD, RN, CNE, Professor, College of Nursing, University of Toledo, Ohio.