(1998). Teaching in Nursing: A guide for faculty. Contemporary Nurse: Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 197-197.

Teaching in Nursing: A guide for faculty

Evidence is accumulating that nurses completing pre-licensure programs are not equipped with the essential knowledge and skills for today’s nursing practice, nor prepared to continue learning for tomorrow’s nursing. Citing the need to improve quality and increase capacity, this paper offers three recommendations for transforming nursing education: (1) Create new nursing education systems which use existing resources in community colleges and universities and which provide for common prerequisites and a shared competency-based nursing curriculum and instructional materials. (2) Convene one or more expert panels to develop model pre-licensure curricula which: (a) can be used as a framework by faculty in community college-university partnerships for development of their local curriculum; (b) are based on emerging health care needs and widely accepted nursing competencies as interpreted for new care delivery models; (c) incorporate best practices in teaching and learning. (3) Invest in a national initiative to develop and evaluate new approaches to pre-licensure clinical education, including a required post-graduate residency under a restricted license. The author notes that these changes will require significant investment in the reforms, as well as in nursing education research and faculty development. The return on investment would be improved educational capacity and a better prepared nursing workforce, responsive to emerging health care needs and rapidly changing health care delivery systems. TRANSFORMING PRE-LICENSURE NURSING EDUCATION: PREPARING THE NEW NURSE TO MEET EMERGING HEALTH CARE NEEDS The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching joins a chorus of calls for transformation of pre-licensure nursing education (Benner et al., 2009b). Citing the shift of significant responsibility to nurses for managing complex medical regimens, as well as increasing complexity of community based practices, Benner and colleagues concluded that nurses entering the field are not equipped with the essential knowledge and skills for today’s practice nor prepared to continue learning for tomorrow’s nursing (p. 31). They found (1) weak curricula in natural sciences, technology, social sciences and humanities, and in developing cultural competency; (2) weak classroom instruction and limited integration between classroom and clinical experiences; (3) limited strategies in helping The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health Copyright National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health Key Messages and Report Recommendations

From the Inside Out: A New Approach to Teaching Professional Identity Formation and Professional Ethics

Self-management strategies in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

New nurses are often perceived as not meeting expectations for safe nursing practice. Nurse educators need to identify student learning and professional development needs as students progress toward practice. The purpose of the study was to determine the strengths and weaknesses of senior-level nursing students related to readiness for practice before graduation. Using a descriptive, exploratory design, nurse preceptors evaluated the degree to which their assigned senior nursing student was meeting expectations for readiness for nursing practice. Survey items were organized into affective, cognitive, and psychomotor domains and general readiness. This evaluation occurred at the beginning of the final practicum to assess student progress toward readiness for practice. Students scored highest in professional attributes but lowest in time management, prioritization, management of multiple patients, and pharmacology knowledge. Results can be used to inform teaching strategies, strengthen academic-clinical partnerships, and promote readiness for entry-level practice.

Nurse Preceptor Perceptions of Nursing Student Progress Toward Readiness for Practice.

In a statewide study of nurse educators from nationally accredited ADN programs, 42 of 109 baccalaureate outcomes were reported met in their programs Those outcomes clustered in 3 areas: information management and application of technology, professionalism and professional values, and generalist nursing practice The 67 outcomes that were not met were in the categories of liberal education, organizational and systems leadership, evidence-based practice, healthcare policy, finance and regulatory environments, interprofessional collaboration, and population health This research provides important evidence from which to construct an outcomes-based associate degree to baccalaureate curriculum

Baccalaureate outcomes met by associate degree nursing programs.

Implementing e-books: Faculty and student experiences

From Daunting Task to New Beginnings: Bachelor of Science in Nursing Curriculum Revision Using the New Essentials

Senior student nurse proficiency: A comparative study of two clinical immersion models.

As concept-based nursing education gains popularity, there is little literature on how to sustain quality after initiation of the curriculum. Critical appraisal of concepts in a university program revealed varying definitions, attributes, and exemplars resulting in student confusion. The Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycle for continuous quality improvement was used for concept evaluation. The goals of the evaluation project were: 1) to develop common definition and attributes for concepts and 2) to develop horizontal and vertical leveling of exemplars to build on prior student learning. The continuous quality improvement process can be used to prevent "concept creep" and ensure internal consistency of concept definitions, attributes, and exemplars.

Sharon Kumm

Papers

Baccalaureate outcomes met by associate degree nursing programs.

Implementing e-books: Faculty and student experiences

From Daunting Task to New Beginnings: Bachelor of Science in Nursing Curriculum Revision Using the New Essentials

Senior student nurse proficiency: A comparative study of two clinical immersion models.

Concept Evaluation Using the PDSA Cycle for Continuous Quality Improvement.