Revolutionizing an accelerated baccalaureate nursing curriculum

Abstract

Students enrolled in accelerated baccalaureate nursing programs have often proven themselves to be independent, ambitious and self-motivated. Nurse educators are being challenged to adapt their accelerated program curricula, teaching approaches and delivery modes to accommodate the goals, abilities and resources of these adult learners. At the same time, the rapid changes occurring in health care delivery, locally and worldwide, challenge new practitioners to quickly achieve an increasing list of cognitive and psychomotor competencies for effective nursing practice. Since January 2011, faculty members of Memorial University School of Nursing have been engaged in a comprehensive initiative to create a new accelerated program with a redesigned curriculum. Briefly presented are key milestones accomplished to date, including articulating the new accelerated program mission statement; determining applicant requirements; formulating a new educational philosophy; seeking governance approval; establishing program outcomes; and, framing the curriculum structure.

Comparison of second-degree and traditional baccalaureate nursing students’ performance in managing acute patient deterioration events

“…[35,38] Overall, the performance differences seen between the two groups are supportive of the notion that second-degree programs develop individuals with key advantages in decision-making capacity. [19] …”

“…[16,18] The increasingly complex and unpredictable nature of contemporary practice environments and competing demands for quality clinical placements make it difficult for accelerated second-degree nursing programs to provide learning opportunities that develop the higher order clinical decisionmaking skills that are required for navigating the problematic situations students will encounter in real-life clinical practice. [19] The quality of nursing education is highly dependent on the quality of the clinical practice learning experiences provided to students. Contemporary educational approaches emphasize the need for active learning and advocate the use of simulated environments with high technological, environmental and psychological fidelity to reduce medical errors.…”