Union County College Proposed Change to Practical Nursing Curriculum Plan

Transcription

1 Union County College Proposed Change to Practical Nursing Curriculum Plan 1. Background The Practical Nursing program began a new curriculum plan in January 2003 following a mandate from the NJ Board of Nursing that the prior program be closed. Over the past three years, there has been a tremendous interest in the program and a large influx of interested students. Even with requirements for and limitations on enrollment in the first PN course, qualified students are not completing the curriculum sequence, and are often failing repeated attempts at nursing courses. Although graduates of the PN program are successful on the NCLEX-PN licensure examination (98.5% average), there is an identified attrition rate in PNU 120 (Nursing Fundamentals) and PNU 130 (Adult Health I) that exceeds 50% of the class. This, in combination with a 41% average completion rate, prompted the faculty to conduct a review of the curriculum. 2. Initial Consideration/Approval for Curriculum Review Dr. Smith is aware of the Board of Nursing recommendation and is supportive of a revision of the curriculum plan. Faculty members and the Director have been discussing this change over the past year, but have delayed the process because of multiple accreditation visits. The Board of Nursing unanimously approved 8 year accreditation of the PN program in July 2006, but did request a review of the curriculum to determine if the attrition rate could be reduced. During the National League for Nursing accreditation visit in October 2006, the overall program completion rate was identified as an area to consider (It was not identified as requiring action in their report). 3. Rationale for Revision The goal of the curriculum revision is to improve upon the overall retention and completion rate of students in the Practical Nursing Program. By redistributing credit allocation, course content and clinical lab time is able to be provided in such a way as to enhance student transition from basic to more complex course requirements. 4. Student Enrollment There is no plan to increase the number of students beginning the nursing course sequence. The objective is to increase the number of students who continue and complete the program. Adding more students at this

2 time will not facilitate the implementation and initial evaluation of the curriculum revision. 5. Resources and Costs Administration is aware that a by-product of improved retention may require that adjunct instructors be employed to cover additional students in the clinical courses. NJ Board of Nursing regulations stipulate that no more than 10 students may be supervised in the clinical area by one instructor. Support of learning resources is available through the department budget and supplemented with Perkins grant monies. 6. General Education Course Requirements The general education courses required in the program will not change. Students will still need to complete BIO 102, ENG 101, PSY 101, PSY 205, and a three or four credit elective to receive a diploma. A grade of C or better is required in all of these courses. Students may take BIO 105 and BIO 106, and ENG 111 and ENG 112 in place of the BIO and ENG requirements. Students are advised to select an elective that will facilitate their articulation with an RN program. 7. Implementation Upon Curriculum Committee and Faculty approval, the proposal will be sent to the NJ Board of Nursing for review. It is hoped that this process will be completed in order to allow for initial implementation of the revised curriculum in Fall Students enrolled in the current curriculum plan will be able to complete those nursing courses, or will be transitioned into the new program, if necessary. All PRNS coded students will receive a notice by mail of the curriculum change. In addition, information will be posted on the PN website and an updated brochure will be developed for new applicants. 8. Curriculum Plan Comparison (see attached) Semester I: An additional credit has been added to PNU 110 to allow for 3 hours of lab time each week (45 hours/credit). Study of current students enrolled in PN nursing courses finds that the vast majority of students (see attached data) are only taking nursing and that an increase of credits for PNU 110 in Semester I will not have an adverse effect. There is also a change in the course content to focus more on critical concepts, as well as introduce selected nursing skills. Semester II: The two courses, PNU 120 and PNU 130 have been combined into one and two credit hours have been removed to make the

3 single course 10 credits (7 theory/3 clinical). The elective has been moved to this semester for students who need to be full-time for financial aid reasons. Semester III: The three courses, PNU 140, PNU 150, and PNU 160, have been combined into one course with the same number of total credits (6 theory/3 clinical). Semester IV: The two courses, PNU 170 and PNU 180, have been combined into one course which is 12 credits (8 theory/4 clinical). This will also allow students to maintain full-time status, if necessary. The extra credits will also provide extra clinical time so that a clinical practicum may be added at the end to assist students in their transition to the practice role. The total number of nursing credits has not changed, but has been redistributed among the courses. General education courses and credits remain the same. The combination of courses within each semester will eliminate the current problem of students who are unsuccessful in the first 5, 7, or 9 week courses of the semester and unable to continue in the sequence, thereby creating a registration and financial aid snafu. 9. Transferability This curriculum revision should not have an impact upon the ability of students/graduates to transfer. At the present time, individual nursing courses may be able to be transferred to other programs, but the program, as a whole, is generally accepted upon transfer to an RN program. Students may need to successfully complete a transitional course prior to receiving credit for their LPN preparation. 10. New Courses (see attached syllabi) PNU 110 PNU 120 PNU 210 (recommended numbering) PNU 220 (recommended numbering) 11. References The proposed curriculum plan exceeds the NJ Board of Nursing regulation of at least 44 weeks for Practical Nursing programs (NJ 13:37-1.8(g) 3). Course content also includes required areas specified by NJ 13:37-1.8(g)2, including communication, legal/ethical issues, pain, end-of-life, and supportive and restorative care.

4 The entire curriculum reflects the NLNAC Competencies for the Twenty- First Century, Practical Nursing competencies, as well as the NCLEX-PN test plan. The proposed change continues to positively correlate with the program s philosophy and goals, and the curriculum objectives. There have been no changes in these areas. 11/15/06

5 Student Enrollment Semester I, PNU 110 Fall 2006: 50 students enrolled 10 students taking more than PNU 110 (4 credits) = 20% Only 3 of the 10 students taking credits total 7 taking 7 or 8 credits total Fall 2005: 53 students enrolled 4 students took more than PNU 110 (4 credits) = 8% Trended data indicate that the vast majority of PNU 110 students do not take other college courses with PNU 110, so an additional credit in that semester should not have a negative impact on enrollment. Most PRNS students have completed general education requirements prior to PNU 110 enrollment.