Hallie Barnett
Discussion 2
It is pertinent when developing curriculum to “first identify essential qualities of graduates then identify competencies for each year or level of the program necessary to attain the outcomes” (Iwasiw & Goldenberg, 2015b, p. 276). From researching national standards for nursing practice and educational programs, there are some common proficiencies that are clearly illustrated: patient-centered care, collaboration within the interprofessional team, evidence-based practice, the use of technology, and quality improvement of patient outcomes. By exercising these competencies in nursing education curriculum, graduate nurses will develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to succeed in the ever-changing world of healthcare.
Even though nurses are tasked on a daily basis to complete a to-list and achieve physician orders, the priority remains the client and responding to their needs as an individual. Each national organization researched addresses the significance of patient-centered care regardless of the healthcare setting. The profession of nursing is a dynamic discipline which “includes the assessing, caring, counseling, teaching, referring, and implementing of prescribed treatment” (NC Board of Nursing, 2018, para. 2). As a clinical instructor, I emphasis to my students that caring for their assigned patient is precedence over a task list, documentation, or anything else that stands in the way. Patient-centered care is all about treating the patient as an individual as well as providing them with respect, dignity, and advocacy.
Communication is integral in the nursing profession not just with patients, but support people, fellow nurses, and other interdisciplinary members. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2008), “effective communication and collaboration among health professionals is imperative to providing patient-centered care” (p. 22). Part of providing holistic care for clients is assisting their support persons as well whether it be a spouse, family member, or caregiver. Like our patients, they should be treated fairly and respectfully. As a nursing student, I remember communication being a difficult skill for me to accomplish because whether it be the physician, family, or client as the nurse I wanted to say and express things in the most correct, considerate way. With communication and collaboration comes teamwork, trust, and interprofessional relationships.
Another common theme among national standards is the idea of incorporating evidence-based practice in the nursing profession to deliver optimal patient care. Nurses should be integrating best research with clinical expertise and patient values while participating in learning (Institute of Medicine Committee on the Health Professions Education Summit, 2013). The healthcare world is constantly evolving so by exploring research, consulting clinical experts, and acknowledging new data, nurses can achieve improved health outcomes. In my opinion, it is important for faculty to teach the importance of this characteristic of evidence-based practice, and the nurse should take the responsibility to engage in this process of lifelong learning.
Another way to improve patient care is through the use of informatics. According to the QSEN Institute (2018), technology uses information to not only communicate and manage knowledge but also mitigate error and support decision making. I believe it is important for nursing faculty to communicate to their students that although technology can make a huge impact on patient care, assessing, communicating, and addressing the client always remains priority. Even though different facilities may use different computer systems or informatic management, it is important to educate how this topic can be an effective tool for quality, safe, and supportive care.
Eliminating errors and hazards in patient care is a top priority for each of these national associations through the use of standardization, advocacy, and organization. Quality improvement brings about higher patient satisfaction scores and better patient outcomes. The National League for Nursing promotes the fundamental values of human flourishing, professional identity, spirit of inquiry, and nursing judgement in every aspect of nursing practice to improve patient outcomes (National League for Nursing, 2014). By identifying what patients perceive as best care and where incidents are occurring, nursing institutes can improve what works well in their workplace and areas to improve. Nursing students should be able to use the characteristics of decision-making, critical thinking, and value to achieve the competency of quality improvement.
By using these national standards as a guide, students should show high proficiency in demonstrating these competencies by the end of the nursing program. According to Iwasiw and Goldenberg (2015a), “the outcome or goal statements are a declaration of what students can expect to achieve and constitute a public promise of what successful students like be like” (p. 254). Below are examples of student learning outcomes that nursing students should achieve by graduation.
-At the completion of the nursing program, graduates will be able to demonstrate critical thinking skills in the delivery of patient-centered care to clients and support members.
-At the completion of the nursing program, graduates will be able to participate with the client and other support members such as family or caregivers using the nursing process.
-At the completion of the nursing program, graduates will be able to utilize effective communication with patient, support members, and other interdisciplinary members in the healthcare environment.
-At the completion of the nursing program, graduates will be able to create an environment that promotes caring, safety, and cultural practices for the client and support members.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2008). The essentials of baccalaureate education for professional nursing practice. Retrieved from https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/Publications/BaccEssentials08.pdf
Institute of Medicine Committee on the Health Professions Education Summit. (2003). The core competencies needed for health care professionals. In A.C. Greiner & E. Knebel (Eds.), Health professions education: A bridge to quality. Washington, DC: National Academic Press. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK221519/
Iwasiw, C. L. & Goldenberg, D. (2015a). Designing an evidence-informed, context-relevant, unified curriculum. In Curriculum development in nursing education(pp. 261-299). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Iwasiw, C. L. & Goldenberg, D. (2015b). Formulating curriculum goals or outcomes for curriculum. In Curriculum development in nursing education(pp. 261-299). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
NC Board of Nursing. (2018). Nursing Practice Act. Retrieved from https://www.ncbon.com/laws-rules-nursing-practice-act-nursing-practice-act
National League for Nursing. (2014). Practical Nursing. Retrieved from http://www.nln.org/professional-development-programs/teaching-resources/practical-nursing
QSEN Institute. (2018). QSEN competencies. Retrieved from http://qsen.org/competencies/pre-licensure-ksas/
