CONTACT - Volume 9, Number 1
Undergraduate Program in Nursing

Linda K. Perkel, Ph.D., RN
Associate Dean

It seems only yesterday that we were celebrating the birth of a new millennium. Now we are welcoming in 2002. The year 2001 began with joyous celebration and immeasurable optimism. To a large extent, much of that changed after September 11. However, new ways of being came to the forefront; caring and consideration and regard for human life became values that were lived out daily.

In somewhat similar fashion, the undergraduate program at Barry University has seen the birth of our new curriculum. As most of us are aware, there have been significant changes in the health care delivery system, population demographics, and science and technology that impact the roles of the professional nurse. The faculty found themselves increasingly challenged to provide teaching/learning experiences that would prepare students to operate in this changing environment. In response, the turn of the century found faculty immersed in discussions about the nursing curriculum, the values inherent to nursing and important to us at Barry University, what the future of nursing held, and how to best prepare our students for that future.

As a starting point for our work and with the assistance of a consultant, an assessment process began. The faculty looked at the existing philosophy to determine whether the document continued to accurately reflect our beliefs. Once we ascertained that we continue to hold the beliefs espoused in our philosophy, we endeavored to develop a curriculum that prepares our graduates for entry into professional nursing and enables them to provide care that is related to disease prevention, health promotion, health maintenance, and illness and end-of-life care. In addition, we knew we had to prepare our graduates for nursing practice of today and of the future.

Community-based education (CBE) was the framework chosen upon which to build our new curriculum. According to Stanley (2000), "community-based education provides an exciting, growing vehicle for preparing our nation's future nursing workforce." Faculty articulated their assumptions about CBE stating, "In CBE, each community should become a unique, multidimensional context for learning. Educational experiences include a variety of health services that are determined by the needs and resources of both the community and the nursing program. CBE requires ongoing partnerships among the students, faculty and community members." (Faculty workshop, 1999).

The pillars of our new curriculum were thus formed and work began on the bricks and mortar, the courses and course content that make up the curriculum. After a year of focus groups, faculty meetings, and course group meetings, the curriculum was designed, syllabi developed, and approval from the university and Florida Board of Nursing received.

In August 2001 the first class of nursing students enrolled in courses encompassed in the new curriculum at the Division of Nursing. As with any new way of being, there are challenges. There are challenges to the faculty to facilitate the learning of essential nursing knowledge in a new format and structure. There are challenges for the students for whom expectations are high. There are challenges for the community, to whom we look to assist us in identifying what essential skills our graduates will need and in finding clinical experiences that will meet students' learning needs.

As we continue to implement our new curriculum, we will continue to evaluate what works and what doesn't. As we continue to move through the twenty-first century, we will continue to strive to educate professionals prepared for the future; we'll continue to evaluate what works and what doesn't. Hopefully, at the same time, we will each continue to grow and change, to care for and be considerate of each other, to value human life, to live out the values that are important to us as nurses and human beings.