Nursing Education Curriculum

Type: Course-7713

Subject: Nursing  Education

Subject area: Nursing

Education Level: Undergraduate/College

Length: 6  pages

Referencing style: APA

Preferred English: US English

Spacing Option: Double

Title:  Nursing Education Programs

Instructions:  Are nursing education programs designing the nursing education curriculum for the nurse of the future? To answer this question, choose a school of nursing and examine the curriculum changes that have taken place in the past 10 – 20 years.  To complete this assignment you may want to choose the school of nursing that you are familiar with through job or as a student.  You can “interview” an administrator or curriculum chair via phone, email or in person about curriculum changes that have been made with rationale for these changes. Support the changes with literature. A minimum of four references are required.  Use APA format in writing your paper.  

Are Nursing Education Programs Designing the Nursing Education Curriculum for the Nurse of the Future?

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Are Nursing Education Programs Designing the Nursing Education Curriculum for the Nurse of the Future?

The United States practice environments and healthcare settings are experiencing significant changes. These environments require modifications to nurses’ education  to enhance learners’ comprehension of and experience in quality improvement strategies, care management, change management at the system level, and nurses expanding roles in the healthcare setting(Wood, 2010). Therefore, nurse educators should modify nursing education to ensure that nurse graduates collaborate effectively with other healthcare workers in a healthcare system that is complex and evolving. The paper uses Dominican college as a case study to examine the curriculum changes that have taken place in the past 10-20 years in its nursing program.  I talked to the school nursing administrator via phone call to determine the institution’s nursing program changes in the last 10-20 years. The findings from the phone call are summarized below.

Summary of the Phone Interview Findings

According to the Dominican school nursing administrator, the school has a traditional nursing program comprising of an accelerated nursing program and a Registered Nurse (RN) program to BSN program. The school also offers a 100% online RN to BSN program. However, the program is limited to registered nurses currently holding an associate degree or diploma in nursing and wish to acquire a bachelor of science in nursing. The online program is perfect for nurses who lack time to attend physical classrooms. Many hospitals require nurses with BSN, compelling nurses with a diploma and associate degree to advance their education by obtaining a BSN degree. Online education within nursing is expanding rapidly because healthcare systems are implementing Robert Wood Johnson’s 2010 recommendations in the Future of Nursing Report.  According to the report, healthcare facilities should increase nurses with a BSN degree from 50% to 80% by 2020(Wood, 2010). Various states are passing laws mandating nurses to earn a bachelor’s of science in nursing  after obtaining their licenses. For instance, New York in 2018 implemented a law mandating its nurses to obtain a BSN within a decade of becoming licensed (Williams-Tracy, 2020). Similar legislations are under review by other states.  Therefore, with the Dominican 100% online RN to BSN program, RN and associate degree nurses can take advantage of this program to obtain their BSN degrees while working full-time.

 Furthering education is one of the strategies that nurses use to advance their career. Going back to the classroom can be a challenge for many, especially those who juggle between work and family. However, with the Dominican school‘s 100% online program, registered nurses can advance their careers without being worried about scheduling shifts or resigning from their jobs because of the benefits that characterize the online program. These benefits include convenience and flexibility, top-quality education, access to an interactive learning experience, and career advancement opportunities (Gilbert, 2015; Abdelaziz et al., 2011). Thus, the Dominican school‘s 100% online program was created to accommodate nurses who lack time to attend physical classrooms because of their job demands and meet the IOM reports recommendation of increasing BSN nurses from 50 to 80% by 2020.

Apart from the 100% online program, Dominican College has a weekday option (ABSN) and a weekend option (WABSN).  The weekday program is a full-time 58 credit program taking 12-months. The program incorporates all the conventional nursing degree components in an accelerated, trimester format. The students engage in clinical and course work from Monday to Friday, with the weekend options commencing in May, a day after the Memorial.  All graduates qualify to take NCLEX, a state licensing examination. Although technology advancements have resulted in increased demand for the online program by working professionals because of their efficiency and convenience, they may not be appropriate for some nurses pursuing leadership in clinical care, education, and administration. These nurses require traditional learning environments because of their multiple benefits. Some nurses find virtual classrooms challenging because of competing priorities, destructions, and the urge to multitask. 

However, the traditional learning environment ensures that students are ready to study and focused. The need to express thoughts, engage in meaningful dialogues, persuade and educate are vital success factors in nurses pursuing leadership roles within clinical, educational, and administrative majors.  The traditional learning environment offers these individuals a chance to exchange ideas, share with colleagues, communicate their views, and boost their presentation and speaking skills (University of the POTOMAC, n.d).  Strong professional and educational connections with faculty and peers are evident in learning environments where students regularly meet. Regular communication and face-to-face communication enhances personal connection that offers supportive networking when faced with various challenges like managing home, work, and school life. These connections are an added advantage to those attending the traditional classroom, and they often extend into the future

 According to the nursing school administrator, Dominican College also has traditional nursing programs and weekend options (WABSN) to pursue various nursing degrees. The weekend option is a part-time program with 58 credit programs running for 24 months.  The program integrates all the traditional nursing degree components. Those enrolled in the program may continue working as they study because clinical and course work occurs on Sundays and Saturdays throughout the six trimesters.  Twelve weekends characterize each semester minus major holiday weekends.  All the program graduates qualify for the state’s licensing exam. According to the school nursing administrator, the weekend program targets individuals considering nursing as their second degree and are engaged in their jobs from Monday to Friday.

 In contrast, the Traditional Baccalaureate Program Option complies with the conventional semester format.  As a day program, it requires individuals to meet five days a week, and it is founded on the institution’s solid liberal arts tradition. According to the school nursing administrator, the program welcomes all applicants with no previous nursing background, including licensed practice nurses wishing to advance their careers. Individuals enrolled in the program graduate with a BSN degree. Additionally, graduates leave the college with the intuition’s liberal arts education’s benefits that impact the 21st-century healthcare setting. According to the school nursing administrator, the traditional program also accommodates students failing out of the accelerated program to continue from where they left.

 From the phone call, it is evident that nursing education programs are designing the nursing education curriculum for the future nurse. According to the  Institute of Medicine(IOM) report: The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, future access to nursing education and basic primary care depends on increasing nurses with BSN degrees. Meeting this goal will enhance access to primary care, enhance, expand, and conceptualize nurses’ role, and update nurses’ scope of practice. The Dominican College nursing program prepares nurses for the future because of their increased access to BSN programs through its 100% online program, weekday program, weekend program, and traditional nursing program.

References

Abdelaziz, M., Kamel, S. S., Karam, O., & Abdelrahman, A. (2011). Evaluation of E-learning program versus traditional lecture instruction for undergraduate nursing students in a faculty of nursing. Teaching and learning in nursing, 6(2), 50-58.

Gilbert, B. (2015). Online learning revealing the benefits and challenges. https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://scholar.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1304&context=education_ETD_masters

University of the POTOMAC.(n.d). Top 6 advantages of traditional education. https://potomac.edu/top-advantages-of-traditional-education/

Williams-Tracy.(2020, May 07). Online education programs for nurses take on increased significance. Dayton Business Journal, https://www.bizjournals.com/dayton/news/2020/05/07/online-education-programs-for-nurses-take-on.html

Wood, R. (2010). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. The National Academies Press.