There is a concerted movement in undergraduate nursing programs towards the "nurse generalist." Part of this is due to pressure from state boards of nursing to "cut out" unessentials and to focus on the basic education that a new graduate needs to function safely and competently in today's very complex nursing practice environment. There is also the tyrannical pressure of "additive curricula" due to the unrelenting acceleration of medical knowledge and technology. Yes, we keep adding bits and pieces to our lectures year by year, but don't take anything away. Yikes! After awhile, we are "speed lecturing" just to keep up, while the bewildered students just try their best to keep up under the piles and piles of information.
So, in our associate-degree program, we will be cutting out fetal monitoring, neonatal resusciation, the stressed neonate (three of my favorites ), all but basic ECG, and many other items. We will probably be cutting down on the amount of time our students spend in the pediatric and postpartum units, and redouble time on basic medical-surgical units instead. We will be focusing afresh in our program on developing critical thinking skills in our students and prioritization. Nursing in the community (as opposed to acute care) is also coming more and more into the forefront.
So my question to you, my fellow educators, is--what are your opinions about these very significant changes in emphasis? How do your programs handle the burden of "additive curriculum?" What types of content are being emphasized in your programs?
), all but basic ECG, and many other items. We will probably be cutting down on the amount of time our students spend in the pediatric and postpartum units, and redouble time on basic medical-surgical units instead. We will be focusing afresh in our program on developing critical thinking skills in our students and prioritization. Nursing in the community (as opposed to acute care) is also coming more and more into the forefront.