Reconfiguring a Curriculum for the New Millennium: The Process of Change

A core competency model for Chinese baccalaureate nursing graduates: a descriptive correlational study in Beijing

BACKGROUND

A review of the literature showed that the core competencies needed by newly graduated Chinese nurses were not as of yet undocumented.

OBJECTIVE

To develop a psychometrically sound instrument for identifying and measuring the core competencies needed by Chinese nursing baccalaureate graduates.

DESIGN

Descriptive correlational and multicentre study.

SETTING

Seven major tertiary teaching hospitals and three major medical universities in Beijing.

PARTICIPANTS

790 subjects, including patients, nursing faculty members, doctors and nurses.

METHOD

A reliable and valid self-report instrument, consisting of 58 items, was developed using multiple methods. It was then distributed to 790 subjects to measure nursing competency in a broader Chinese context. The psychometric characteristics of reliability and validity were supported by descriptive and inferential analyses.

RESULTS

The final instrument consists of six dimensions with 47 items. The content validity index was 0.90. The overall scale reliability was 0.97 with dimensions range from 0.87 to 0.94. Six domains of core competencies were identified: professionalism; direct care; support and communication; application of professional knowledge; personal traits; and critical thinking and innovation.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study provide valuable evidence for a psychometrically sound measurement tool, as well as for competency-based nursing curriculum reform.

Nurses' professional and personal values

The purpose of this study was to measure professional and personal values among nurses, and to identify the factors affecting these values. The participants were 323 Israeli nurses, who were asked about 36 personal values and 20 professional values. The three fundamental professional nursing values of human dignity, equality among patients, and prevention of suffering, were rated first. The top 10 rated values all concerned nurses' responsibility towards patients. Altruism and confidentiality were not highly rated, and health promotion and nursing research were rated among the last three professional values. For personal (instrumental) values, honesty, responsibility and intelligence were rated first, while ambition and imagination were rated 14th and 16th respectively out of 18. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were found among some personal and professional values rated as functions of culture, education, professional seniority, position and field of expertise. The results may assist in understanding the motives of nurses with different characteristics and help to promote their work according to professional ethical values.

Health-promoting lifestyle and body mass index among College of Nursing students in Kuwait: a correlational study

This cross-sectional, descriptive survey of 202 nursing students in Kuwait assessed their body mass index and health-promoting lifestyle to determine any association between them. The body mass index was calculated by dividing the weight by the height squared (kg/m(2)). The health-promoting lifestyle was measured using Walker's Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II instrument. The participants had a normal body mass index with a tendency towards being overweight and obese, particularly for the males. The students also had a low positive health-promoting lifestyle. A significant association was noted between the sociodemographic variables, particularly age, marital status, and nationality, with the body mass index and Walker's Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile. A significant relationship was established between the body mass index and the overall Walker's Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile and the nutrition subcategory. The findings warranted interventions for improved health behaviors and implied the need for the integration of healthy lifestyle programs into the nursing curricula to meet the escalating demands of the students' role in health promotion and disease prevention.

Creating a holistic environment for practicing nurses

Until nurse administrators and nurse educators focus on improving the nursing practice environments in which we lead and teach others, it is likely to be extremely difficult for nurses to succeed in providing holistic care to clients. To promote a holistic practice environment for nurses, we need to find creative ways to apply newer leadership theories in practice and education. A heightened self-awareness of our own emotions and how we influence others can promote more positive relationships, and thus a more nurturing practice environment, for nurses of all ages, cultures, and levels of experience.

A preliminary study of a healthy-lifestyle-promoting program for nursing students in Taiwan

This pilot study evaluated the effects of a healthy-lifestyle-promoting program, taught as part of an undergraduate community health nursing course, on the physical fitness and health choices of 42 Taiwanese nursing students. A convenience sample provided quantitative indexes of physical fitness and lifestyle before and after the course. Qualitative data, in the form of student diaries, were also analyzed. The findings indicated a positive change in physical fitness, exercise, and nutrition as a result of the program. Including lifestyle programs in nursing education may help promote the long-term health of future nurses who will serve as positive patient role models.

Environments of Care: A Curriculum Model for Preparing a New Generation of Nurses

This article provides a perspective on the community-based curriculum model that has guided undergraduate education for the past decade, discusses some of the problems that have emerged with the community-based approach, and proposes an alternative approach for consideration and discussion. The community-based model is discussed in relation to three major areas of concern: faculty and preceptor implementation of the curriculum, entry into practice and hiring pattern disjunctions, and trends and unexpected consequences of changes in the health care system. The Environments of Care Model, proposed as an alternative curriculum approach, conveys a broad perspective on health and illness, based on a multiple determinants of health paradigm and a systems framework.

Student stakeholders impact redesign for management practicum

Healthcare educators are continually challenged to respond to societal needs as they engage in the dynamic and ongoing process of curriculum redesign. The expectations of a group of stakeholders in the process, our students, were obtained through a survey process over time and led to change in the management and leadership practicum. The authors describe the survey process and its outcomes.

Curricular practices in baccalaureate nursing education: Results of a national survey

The purpose of this survey was to gain an understanding of curricula in baccalaureate nursing programs in the United States to help guide curriculum review and revision at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. A survey was mailed to deans of nursing programs currently accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Results indicated current practice in curricula was diverse. The authors advocate a public forum in which educators can share curricular successes and nonsuccesses.

Creating a learning environment to produce competent residents: the roles of culture and context

Six core competencies have been developed for use by residency programs in assessing individual resident training outcomes. The authors propose that it is important to consider the role of residency culture and work context in helping residents achieve the required competencies. Specifically, the development of a learning-oriented culture and favorable work conditions that facilitate the presence of that culture should be a high priority for residency programs and the organizations (e.g., hospitals) in which they are housed. This places formal accountability at the doorstep of these programs and organizations in helping to create a "competent" resident. Using ideas from management theory, the authors identify specific attitudes, behaviors, and interactions that define a learning culture and show their usefulness when applied to residents' achievement of the competencies. They assert that current features of everyday resident work life decrease the chances that such attitudes, behaviors, and interactions will occur. Identifying and prioritizing the components of desired work environments for promoting a learning-oriented culture, in addition to assessing the presence or absence of both the components and learning best practices within residency programs, should become normal activities that complement the process of assessing competencies.

Teachers' views on curriculum development in health promotion in two Finnish polytechnics

This study describes teachers' views on how to improve the health promotion element in the curricula of two health care polytechnics in Finland. The theoretical background of this study draws on curriculum development in nursing education and how to promote a human- or resource-centred approach in health promotion. The research data were collected by interviewing 10 teachers from both the schools involved in nursing or public health nursing education since August 1997. The data were analysed using content analysis. The findings showed that most of the teachers interviewed were involved in local curriculum development. This work was impeded by lack of time and real commitment, as well as the teachers' desire to protect their own teaching domains. In both polytechnics, they regarded the curriculum mainly as a document guiding their own and students' work. Teachers in one of the polytechnics emphasised the importance of national guidelines in ensuring professional competence, but no one stressed the importance of their school as a regional educational institution. Almost all agreed that health promotion was adequately included in their curriculum. The project "Health for all by year 2000" was taken as the basis for the curriculum in both schools, but some teachers expressed a need for an additional study unit. The findings revealed teachers' traditional views on health promotion in curricula and that there was no evidence of a new approach being adopted.

Evaluating student learning: an Australian case study

Determining the quality of student learning is an ongoing challenge to all educators. However, for educators and students in the health professions, evaluation of learning takes on a different dimension in terms of ensuring that graduates are competent, and thus safe, practitioners. This paper outlines the processes and methods by which student learning has been evaluated throughout a 22-year period at a large school of nursing in a Australian university. First, a historical overview of the major methods used demonstrates how relevant educational theories and sociopolitical forces and movements have influenced the whole curriculum including evaluation methods. Second, examples of current evaluation methods for undergraduate clinical and theoretical units are described. Reflections about past successes and future challenges conclude the paper.

A new curriculum for a new millennium

In the last few years of the 20th century, many factors converged at Auburn University School of Nursing, giving faculty the opportunity to explore beliefs about curriculum and the nursing profession's role in the 21st century. The result of this opportunity was the creation of a new curriculum that brings to life the conviction that nursing is not bound by the 4 walls of a hospital, but is a humanistic discipline that can be practiced anywhere. This article explains the intersection of variables that influenced the development of a new curriculum, including the call by nursing leaders for educators to drastically change their approach to the education of students. We describe the process of developing a community-based curriculum, with innovative examples of clinical and theory experiences on a semester-by-semester basis. Strategies to address obstacles to implementation of a community-based curriculum are included.