Integrating the Curriculum to Advance Baccalaureate Nursing Education

Abstract

In 2004, the School of Nursing at the University at Buffalo began a program in which individuals with a degree in another field could complete an intensive 12-month program leading to a baccalaureate degree in nursing. Curriculum design using courses from the basic baccalaureate and RN-to-BS program, as well as graduate courses, not only provided the opportunity to integrate accelerated bachelor of science (ABS) students with the other student populations but eliminated the need for the development of courses specific to the ABS program. A unique feature of the program is the incorporation of graduate courses, allowing students to earn 9 to 12 graduate credits. The potential for future nursing leaders has also increased, given the characteristics of these mature, highly motivated, career-minded students who have chosen nursing as a second career.

What Skill/Knowledge is Important to a Nursing Professional?

“…The preparation of nursing students for health care in the 21 st century requires that programs deliver instruction in the most effective and efficient manner possible (Kemsley & Riegle, 2008;Noble, Miller, & Heckman, 2008). Nursing education must keep pace with these changes and prepare individuals to meet these challenges.…”