I'm a nursing student currently completing a Bachelor of Nursing in New Zealand, and I'd like to gain a persepctive on what nursing school in other parts of the world (particularly the US) are like. Currently, the education I am receiving is highly politically biased - everything is taught in a "liberal" political perspective. Is this the same deal in the US? I feel the education I'm receiving just shouldn't be this politically biased. I'm not writing this to challenge anyone's political views, but I feel that every student undergoing a degree programme should have academic freedom to express their thoughts. All of the written assignments I have written have had to be written in a pro-liberal perspective. If I were to write an assignment in a "conservative" perspective I'd get heavily penalised, and I have not met "course criteria". Additionally, I have not heard a single pro-conservative argument discussed in any of my classes. I'm politically conservative (minority in NZ), and I'm not claiming liberal ideas are wrong. However they are not my beliefs. To give you an idea, here are some points I've had to "accept" in class and/or in my written assignments, without question.
- Healthcare is a right, and socialied medicine should unquestionably remain;
- Every time a conservative government is elected, healthcare outcomes worsen;
- Government should make more laws and regulations to keep us safer and increase health outcomes (I.e. mandatory vaccinations, mandatory adding of fluoride to our water supply);
- Capitalism, and the resulting social stratification, leads to poverty, which leads to disparities in health. Hence, large corporations and the weathy should be taxed more than the poor, to reduce inequality and lead to more desirable and equal health outcomes for all (effectively anti-capitalist ideas, Marxist ideas were supported in my sociology classes);
- We must have extensive social services (social welfare) as the poor cannot afford health care (culture of dependency ignored entirely);
- Minority cultures have the right to receive more fiancial support from government in order to increase their health outcomes;
- Unhealthy foods should be taxed more than healthy foods (same deal with cigarettes);
- New Zealand cannot support a private healthcare sector due to our population size;
- Most the most part, pro-life and anti-euthanasia opinions are drowned out by the majority view (pro-choice, pro legalised euthanasia).
- Making the individual responsible for their own health care is "victim blaming".
Opinions regarding the benefits of a free market society, benefits of our capitalist system, that social welfare can create a 'culture of dependency', individual responsibility for health outcomes, lowering goods and services tax in general are examples of conservative ideas NEVER discussed.
Thoughts? Any discussion and input would be greatly appreciated.
