What should they teach in nursing school but don't. What do they teach but shouldn't?

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My impression of nursing school based on my very limited experience is that there are many things taught that while perhaps not a waste of time are none the less perhaps not the best possible use of that time. If you were made the supreme overlord of nursing school curricula what things would you delete? Conversely, what things would you add both in terms of content and methodology (perhaps you would teach the same stuff but would do so in a different manner). Could nursing schools today implement your ideas (if they wanted to) or would they be prevented by accredidation bodies from straying from approved curriculum?

I am interested in what you (especially those who posted who are instructors and BSNers) really think about the ADN, BSN ,MSN education offered through schools such as University of Phoenix, Excelsior and Indiana State (online)

Excelsior's ADN program was disqualified in the state of California, due to the lack of clinicals. So it is very controversial here for that reason.

But once you get your ADN from a school that does meet the state's requirements, online programs seem to be more common, since even some of the state universities here have adopted online ADN-BSN programs.

:coollook:

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Specializes in Cardiac - Med/Ortho/Surg/Gyn.

wow!! i can't imagine what i'd be doing to my poor patients on the floor if i didn't have clinicals!! true, you still learn much more once you're in hospital orientation.. etc.. but still. text books are just that.. text. you need real-life situations to learn from.. to be able to critically think and re evaluate your mentally noted "care plan". i'm thankful for the experiences i had in clinicals, along with my caring and patient clinical instructors.:uhoh3:

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Another plug for PBL here:

We use PBL at my university (we're a BSN program), and I LOVE PBL. I have learned a lot about information seeking, and the topics as well...because I learn by doing, and by figuring out myself rather than have a "teacher" lecture at the front of a class while I drift off in the middle row.

I do agree that clinical time could be increased in nursing programs, but I do believe that the theory and knowledge (information seeking skills, research, communication, etc) is SO important because we are NEVER done our learning. We are a highly respected profession, and we "practice" nursing. To me this means that we continually keep learning, not just while we're in school.

One solution I could see is allowing nursing students to be empolyed (gainfully I mean) as PSW's or aides or something while they're in school. This would allow students to 1) not have to have outside jobs so that they can afford to live 2) give students exposure to hands on client care (basic assessments, mobility, positioning, hygiene).

Great discussion everyone!!

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Specializes in Cardiac - Med/Ortho/Surg/Gyn.

i agree about the care plan overkill in nsg school. if we were required to do lab draws up on the floor, i'd have loved phelbotomy ed.. but we don't even do our own finger sticks anymore! pharmacology.. amen! can never have enough of that.

i do have to disagree the point someone made about having nsg student be required to work as nsg aides or whatnot while in school. i was never a nurses aid.. although i did take the class so i knew what i'd be getting into before my rn courses came up. i work with many rns who've been working for 10+ years including previous cna work, and i feel and am complimented on my experience and skills and patient-nurse communication much more than they are. i dont' think i'm above anyone at all. i just feel that not everyone has to be a cna to prepare them for the rn work. that's all.:)

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What should they teach in nursing school but don't. What do they teach but shouldn't?

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One major area, I feel 'they' should pay some attention to is the dealing with employees-especially difficult employees. We are taught most of the skills we will need while in school. They forget to tell you that once you become an RN you will have to direct others in their work, which I am sure you all know can be royal PITA. :angryfire :angryfire

I think it would be nice to have a program especially designed for the area of Nursing you are going to go into. Or maybe an Internship after you finish your Nursing program. The work I do in LTC is vastly different from acute care settings. I need different skills than those noble men and women who work the ER possess. And as we all know-you don't really start to learn until you hit the floor.

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Specializes in OB/GYN.
Maybe some schools do this but mine didn't.

I think they should have a class in nursing school called "Practical Application" or something. It would be a informal, fun class session where students bring up clinical situations or hypotheticals and the class with the prof would discuss how to handle it. Also, this class' heavy focus would be on case studies. This way students are learning critical thinking and also feeling like the situations that they study could actually occuri in their careers.

Sheer brilliance! I absolutely agree that we would learn much more from case studies than trying to memorize a load of mumbo-jumbo. Let's face it, if you understand the concept you will understand how to put it into practise!

:p

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I think nursing is more of practical than theory. We should spend more time prasticing than talking.

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i hope i'm not repeating myself; but i wish i had been more exposed to the ethical areas of nsg.

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Specializes in ER/Trauma.
I spent an entire quarter giving bed baths. I would like to see LESS emphasis on AM care in clinicals, and MORE emphasis on teaching us the skills we need. And every time we ask for more exposure to skills, we are told that we learn them on the job, and so we shouldn't worry our pretty little heads over it.

I would like clinical instructors to do more "Grand Rounds". On clinical days, we may have 1 or 2 patients, but not get to look at a variety of patients, and see different conditions, or see assessments done on those patients. I feel vastly underprepared for patient assessment.

LESS psychosocial mumbo-jumbo. I didn't come to nursing school for a psych degree (which I already have), I came to learn nursing. Considering how few people become psych nurses, MUST we spend so much time on nurse-patient interaction, especially when floor nurses are so busy, they certainly aren't clarifying, reflecting, confronting, etc. etc. Give me more hard knowledge.

LESS paperwork, MORE patient contact.

That's my $.02 worth for now!

oldiebutgoodie

Kinda describes my clinicals too! A lot of my peers were pretty excited - all they saw was ONE patient (in the entire time between 7 am till 12 noon!) and that too, we just mostly "observed" (my Sernior was a real sweetheart. She MADE me work! LOL)

But one thing is for sure though - sitting in class after attending a week of 'clinicals' makes classes a heck of a lot more boring! But like our HoD keeps reminding us - we need to have a good theoretical base if we are to put it to good use practically.

A few things I'd like to see more emphasis while still in school ::

1. Better forumulation/rememberence of checklists. A lot of us still mix up meds (IM/SQ especially).

2. I agree with the "role-play' and "hot seat" scenarios. While this might make student life tough - I believe it's better to have tough student life than tough nurse life :-)

3. Maybe this is just my institution or my instuctor but I wish we had better ways/means at understanding all these rules, regulations, laws and insurance formalities. My head hurts from all that reading! :p

4. How to deal with the patient family and how to 'behave' (?) [for want of a better word] with co-workers and staff. IMHO, handling the patient's family is grossly neglected in school.

Seems like that's it for the moment :-)

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Specializes in Medical.
i hope i'm not repeating myself; but i wish i had been more exposed to the ethical areas of nsg.

Students here have a mandatory ethics component but from their responses when I talk about ethics, I don't think it's well taught. By that I mean that it's taught as theory ("this is beneficence, it's an important ethical principal") rather that tied to cases.

I'm not trying to drag this post OT, but teaching ethics to undergrads (nursing and medical) is one of my aims, so any input would be awesome :)

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
students here have a mandatory ethics component but from their responses when i talk about ethics, i don't think it's well taught. by that i mean that it's taught as theory ("this is beneficence, it's an important ethical principal") rather that tied to cases.

i'm not trying to drag this post ot, but teaching ethics to undergrads (nursing and medical) is one of my aims, so any input would be awesome :)

i agree completely. we learn the 'theory'. in my case, it was in a theolology class (not taught by a nurse), in a catholic college (both undergrad and grad). for the grad term paper, we got to choose the medical-ethical topic (i chose the separation of conjoined twins). the class wasn't too bad, considering it was taught by a theologan (sp?). he tried to incorporate all the current events (cloning was a hot topic at the time). but it didn't focus on the everyday issues.

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Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

Zack had it so right!!!!! I love it, and we got a bit of that in my school at the end of senior year in lab. We did sceneros and really went all out on talking about feelings and what we all would do..and that is was OKAY to have a different outcome or reponse as long as it wasn't out of line! Oh my...it was also the only time we were allowed to actually cuss...because one, someone was the patient and lets face it..they do use colorful 4 letter language at times! LOL, and two, when we were allowed to say how we REALLY felt...well, sometimes those words come out! LOL!

Another thing I would have liked is much more end of life care, and understanding on how much is truly too much in regards to comfort narcotics. That would have been great since I am surrounded by Nurses too scared to even give narcotics...even when someone is moaning in pain!!! There is a right way and a wrong way to do this, and a little more info would have been very nice! Speak to a hospice nurse or even pain management clinic if you feel the same way..I did...learned so much!!!!!

I thought my class did wayyyyyy to much on medical ethics! 3 semesters! Okay..all it was was a debate daily about right from wrong when most times...there is a very fine line...I learned little from that...learned once I got outside! A class in understanding yourself would have been more benificial (even though I even felt eyes roll at that suggestion..LOL!) I would have been much better prepared if I had known what my own personal challenges would have been with given ethical situations, and how to not just deal with it medically, but once I got home too ;). Thank goodness I had a very smart nursing professor that had us do assignments at home that helped us to learn where our borders were on ethical delemas..and how to stop being exposed to them prior to being hired at any facility (like induction of miscarriage with cancer meds in the ER..which can be asked of you if you are oncology!!! Or dealing with a family that is screaming do not do anything..but no legal paperwork to substantiate it and having to tell them that! Uhggggggg I get that one daily!!!!).

Other than that...some more fun electives (notice I said electives) for physical fitness if you want it, tae chi (sp?), or creative outlet style classes to prevent personal burn out! I am currently about burned out, but I am taking Ikebana (japanese flower arranging) and bonsai classes so that I can SEE what good I do daily when I get home...great for those days you come home after feeling like nothing got done! Very soothing and I needed that!!!!! (hubby too! He is a paramedic...never knows 'the rest of the story' and that can get on you...he is doing this too and we are both much more calm and focused! :) ).

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