ACE.V Teaching Strategies
Veterans Teaching Strategies
These teaching strategies are designed to help nursing students become more proficient in understanding the special needs of veterans. The intent of the ACE.V teaching strategies is to highlight significant physical and emotional common health problems experienced by veterans and the nursing care management implications.
In this teaching strategy the student will meet Eugene Shaw, an 82 year old former marine who served in the Korean War. This teaching strategy focuses on Eugene’s hospitalization for vascular problems related to his diabetes and subtle hints that he may have an underlying depression or anxiety. The activities are directed at evaluating and better understanding the complexities of these diagnoses compounded with his medical problems. In addition, the student will explore the general impact of stress, depression, and anxiety on outcomes when seen in concert with chronic illness.
People who are unhoused may sleep in sheltered locations, such as emergency shelters or transitional housing programs, or in unsheltered locations, such as living in vehicles or on the streets. This teaching strategy helps students better understand an unhoused person’s evaluation of the risks and benefits of being unhoused in sheltered or unsheltered locations. A myths and stigmas activity explores falsehoods about lacking stable shelter, allowing students to reflect on why people are unhoused and explore how to maintain independence and dignity for an unhoused person. A motivational interviewing activity provides students with the opportunity to develop a care plan for a Vietnam War veteran without stable housing. Effective communication techniques are emphasized.
This teaching strategy will increase students’ awareness of the link between oral health and behavioral health. It will provide interventions to assist the student to help patients understand the importance of oral health to overall health and to increase oral health self-care behaviors in patients with mental health problems.
Teaching Strategies on Veterans from Other ACE Programs
This teaching strategy offers guidelines for faculty to prevent non-ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia (NVHAP) by integrating oral health into the care of veterans and persons with disabilities.