NURS FPX 6107 Assessment 1 Curriculum Overview, Framework, and Analysis

Curriculum Overview, Framework, and Analysis

This assessment will comprehensively analyze the Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) program at Duke University School of Nursing. The ABSN program is offered for students who wish to study nursing and have a previous degree in any other field to meet the needs of professional nurses worldwide. This paper examines the program’s mission statement, curriculum organization, professional guidelines, and student outcomes. Further, it discusses the program’s organizing structure and theoretical underpinnings, including its history, concepts, and suggestions for enhancing its curriculum to keep healthcare information current.

Context, Learner Population, and the Importance of the Program 

Duke University School of Nursing is one of the best universities nationwide for nursing education, research, and practice. It is among the top nursing schools in the United States, where compassionate and skilled nurses are prepared through creative educational activities tailored to address the challenges of the dynamic healthcare system (Duke University School of Nursing, n.d.-a). The ABSN program at Duke is an accelerated program that takes 16 months to complete and offers 58 credit hours, including the electives. It is an educational-practice research-based program that trains students to provide optimum and competent service delivery in different practicing fields.

The learner population includes motivated adult learners with diverse academic and work experience and strong critical thinking and interpersonal skills (Duke University School of Nursing, n.d-b). Most learners are professionals who want to switch careers and find themselves in a position where they can help others. This program aims to fill this gap because the nursing profession is experiencing a severe shortage in the United States, and healthcare delivery is becoming more intricate. By developing the competencies required in the current practice setting, the ABSN program meets the staffing needs of an impending shortage, enhances patient care, and fosters the profession’s growth when the curriculum incorporates leadership, flexibility, and evidence-based concepts.

Mission, Course Explanations, and Critical Analysis

Duke University School of Nursing’s mission is to serve communities and the world through the generation of knowledge that fosters health equity and social justice, as well as the leadership development of nurses. This is done through transformative excellence in education, clinical practice, and nursing science. It focuses on differentiation in research, education, and patient care based on appreciation of human beings, society, environment, health, healthcare delivery, nursing, and teaching and learning (Duke University School of Nursing, n.d-b). This accelerated 16-month ABSN program includes fully online, traditional face-to-face, and blended courses to provide effective student learning. The program is designed for four semesters and focuses on basic nursing, clinical leadership, and technology. Nursing majors must attain 58 credits for graduation, with required and elective nursing courses. 

The curriculum emphasizes evidence-based practice, patient-centered care, and cultural competence, with six elective credits needed to allow students to explore areas of interest (Duke University School of Nursing, n.d.-c). Course outlines and credit distribution are presented in Appendices, Table 1. The ABSN program at Duke University aims to develop a qualified nursing workforce by incorporating key concepts such as health assessment, pharmacology, pathophysiology, and population health, aligning with literature recommendations (Purabdollah et al., 2023). The integration of electives allows for specialization and flexibility. However, the program could benefit from a clearer integration of emerging technologies like telehealth and AI (Wangpitipanit et al., 2024). Additionally, while leadership and teamwork are emphasized, the curriculum could further highlight conflict resolution and advanced communication in interprofessional settings. Introducing research methods early could enhance students’ evidence-based practice skills.

Professional Standards, Guidelines, and Competencies

This program encompasses the professional standards and competencies for producing skilled and research-based nurses. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) fully accredits the ABSN curriculum at Duke (Duke University School of Nursing, n.d.-d). It ensures that this program is accredited so that it can be known to meet educational and professional standards. It is used mostly to ensure compliance and recognition with the standards relevant to higher education and nursing practice industries. Another important set of principles that this program is based on is the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials – a guide to the curriculum for nursing education. Several competencies from this framework that Duke’s curriculum meets comprise leadership development, population health, and nursing practice knowledge (AACN, 2021).

The ABSN courses Professional Nursing: Evolution as a Leader, Community and Public Health Nursing, and Health Assessment and Foundations for Nursing Practice Across the Lifespan are based on developing these nursing competencies. The program also incorporates the QSEN competencies, including patient-centered care, communication and teamwork, informatics/evidence-based practice, and safety. This is seen in the course flow, as depicted in Table 1, where interprofessional collaborative practice, quality care, simulation, and clinical experiences are the key features to enhance safety and quality improvement principles. By incorporating these standards and competencies in the ABSN program at Duke, graduates exhibit clinical performance and provide high leadership and collaboration in the healthcare sector.

Program Learning Outcomes and Professional Standards/Competencies

The program outcomes of Duke University School of Nursing’s ABSN program are as follows (Duke University School of Nursing, n.d-b): 

1. Scholarly Development: Graduates will be able to find research questions, assess the existing literature, and utilize the findings to present new approaches to practice. This corresponds to the AACN Essential Scholarship in Nursing, especially research, evidence-based practice, and inquiry in nursing practice (AACN, 2021).
2. Nursing Identity and Integrity: Graduates will exhibit professionalism in their adherence to the principles of evidence-based practice, patient-centered care, and the quality and safety of the patients they attend to across diverse populations. This outcome relates to the AACN Essentials and QSEN competencies of patient-centered care and quality and safety. 
3. Clinical Judgment and Synthesis: Graduates will apply nursing knowledge to other fields to achieve safe, quality care and enhance health among populations of different diversities. This will align with the QSEN competencies of teamwork and collaboration (Dolansky et al., 2024). 
4. Interprofessional Teamwork: Graduates can demonstrate professional interpersonal interactions and nursing perspectives in interprofessional healthcare teams, per the AACN standards of interprofessional work (AACN, 2021).
5. Leadership in Nursing Care: Graduates will apply leadership skills to guarantee the quality of nursing care, organize teams, and organize the care process. This relates to the AACN Essentials and QSEN competencies of leadership and quality care (Dolansky et al., 2024).
6. Cultural Sensitivity and Health Promotion: Graduates will assess and apply sociocultural and political dimensions in health and health promotion. This relates to AACN Essentials and QSEN competencies (patient-centered care), specifically health disparities and vulnerable populations.
7. Data Integration for Care Improvement: Graduates will use valid information from different sources to assess and enhance care, emphasizing nurse-sensitive outcomes. This supports the AACN Essentials, which state that data should be used to improve patient outcomes.

The Process to Update Healthcare Knowledge 

A dynamic process of curriculum revision through evidence-based practice (EBP) should be employed to update health knowledge in a nursing curriculum. Several studies showed that educational nursing programs implemented by EBP could improve the knowledge and skills of future nurses and, thus, clinical practices (Cardoso, 2021). The process starts with a comprehensive environmental assessment to determine new research, technology, and patient care requirements. Next, professors and clinicians should collaborate to incorporate new information into the curriculum as it is consistent with best practices. Moreover, simulation-based learning can improve the students’ practical skills in applying newly acquired knowledge (Mehdipour –Rabori et al., 2021).

The next step is to link the digital tools and online resources to ensure the possibility of updating them in real time and using the latest findings in further training. The process should also embrace feedback mechanisms from students, faculty, and other healthcare practitioners to assess improvement areas. This paradigm helps guarantee curriculum updates that prepare nursing students to learn the most cutting-edge and progressive enhancements to patient-centered care. This process is justified because it enables the nursing curriculum to keep abreast with various advanced practices and innovations in the healthcare sector. This approach is consistent with current professional requirements, including the AACN Essentials and QSEN competencies, which means graduates can be ready for high-quality patient-centered care (Dolansky et al., 2024).

Organizing Design and Theoretical Framework

The ABSN program offered at Duke University illustrates the competency-based course design. Competency-based education (CBE) is a teaching-learning model and an assessment and feedback, reflection, and reporting paradigm (Lewis et al., 2022). This design helps nursing students move from one level to another because they are presented with competencies they need to meet before they are presented with harder concepts. For instance, the courses offered in the first semester of ABSN include health assessment and pharmacology, which precedes pathophysiology and population health, ensuring that mastery of nursing skills is progressive.

On the other hand, the program is anchored on Benner’s Novice to Expert Model. This model emphasizes the development of nursing expertise through a series of stages. These include novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert levels (Sterner et al., 2021). At Duke, this is captured in the program’s progression, which is sequential, like clinical experiences. The first stage in the program is the novice stage, characterized by the performance of elementary nursing skills in simulated environments. They move to higher patient care experiences and show competent and proficient skills. For instance, students start the program working under close supervision, and by the end of the program, they are expected to provide patient care with less supervision to show the expert stage. It encourages the development of critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and personal practice while students achieve the stated competencies. 

Historical Overview of Design and Theoretical Model

CBE was conceived in the early 20th century due to changes required to transition from time-based learning to performance-based systems. It only started to grow in the 1970s, particularly in vocational and healthcare training, where the issue of showing competency profiles was vital. CBE ensures student mastery of certain defined skills and knowledge before they progress; this is very important in nursing education, especially given the safety needs of patients and the promotion of clinical competence (Lewis et al., 2022). In the same way, Benner’s Model of Novice to Expert, proposed in 1984, is a useful tool to complete CBE since it offers the framework to analyze nurses’ clinical experience.

According to Benner, the model focuses on the journey from novice to expert through experience and knowing in practice (Sterner et al., 2021). CBE and Benner’s model integrates into the ABSN program at Duke University. Students must be proficient at some level throughout learning and advance toward the expert level of clinical judgment and technical skills within a relatively short period. 

Significant Concepts of Design and the Model

CBE is based more on the mastery of certain content knowledge and skills than on seat time. Its key ideas are competency frameworks, learning maps, master learning, and criteria-referenced evaluations (Lewis et al., 2022). Such elements ensure that students can develop important skills in terms of definite standards and then prove their proficiency in practical situations. CBE is based on competency-based education, the main aim of which is to produce learning outcomes that reflect the achievement of the intended learning outcomes and prepare learners for professional practice. Benner’s Novice to Expert Model identifies five nursing proficiency levels: Novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient, and expert. The model is based on the fact that clinical experience is accumulated throughout the years and practice.

These are situational awareness, decision-making, and skill development (Sterner et al., 2021). When applied to the ABSN curriculum, CBE and Benner’s model fit because they educate students for professional practice within a shorter time. CBE ensures that students achieve the set nursing competencies; on the other hand, Benner’s model offers clinical skill knowledge advancement and situational understanding. Combined, these ways facilitate the student evolution from the most elementary learner level to a qualified performer who can provide efficient patient-centered care that produces quantifiable outcomes and prepares students for practice within a wide range of settings in healthcare facilities.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, this assessment evaluates professional standards, guidelines, and relevant theories incorporated in the curriculum of Duke University‘s ABSN program to produce modern competencies of patient advocates, health promoters, educators, and leaders in the healthcare sector. They have also incorporated the AACN essentials and QSEN competencies, which aim at providing effective evidence-based care, interprofessional collaboration, and leadership. The competency-based design and Benner’s Novice to Expert Model also provide the basis for building clinical expertise. The program is updated regularly according to the changing trends in health care, technologies, and best practices in the field. In general, the ABSN program at Duke enhances the skills of nurses, enabling them to deliver safe, quality, and patient-centered care.

References

AACN (2021). The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (pp. 1–82). American Association of Colleges of Nursing. https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/0/PDFs/Publications/Essentials-2021.pdf 

Cardoso, D. (2021). The effectiveness of an evidence-based practice (EBP) educational program on undergraduate nursing students’ EBP knowledge and skills: A cluster randomized control trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(1), 293. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18010293 

Dolansky, M. A., Dick, T., Byrd, E., Miltner, R. S., & Layton, S. S. (2024). The QSEN competency legacy threaded through the entry-level AACN essentials: Shaping the future. Nurse Educator, 49(2), 73–79. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000001511 

NURS FPX 6107 Assessment 1 Curriculum Overview, Framework, and Analysis

Duke University School of Nursing. (n.d.-a). Educational excellence. Duke University School of Nursing. https://nursing.duke.edu/why-duke/educational-excellence 

Duke University School of Nursing. (n.d.-b). Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing student handbook 2024-202. Duke University School of Nursing. https://nursing.duke.edu/sites/default/files/documents/ABSN%20Student%20Handbook%202024-2025.pdf 

Duke University School of Nursing. (n.d.-c). Academic programs curricula. Duke University School of Nursing. https://nursing.duke.edu/academic-programs/curriculum#absn 

Duke University School of Nursing. (n.d.-d). Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing student resources. Duke University School of Nursing. https://nursing.duke.edu/student-resources/absn 

Lewis, L. S., Rebeschi, L. M., & Hunt, E. (2022). Nursing education practice update 2022: Competency-Based education in nursing. SAGE Open Nursing, 8(8). https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608221140774 

Mehdipour –Rabori, R., Bagherian, B., & Nematollahi, M. (2021). Simulation-based mastery improves nursing skills in BSc nursing students: A quasi-experimental study. BMC Nursing, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-020-00532-9 

Purabdollah, M., Zamanzadeh, V., Ghahramanian, A., Valizadeh, L., Mousavi, S., & Ghasempour, M. (2023). Competencies expected of undergraduate nursing students: A scoping review. Nursing Open, 10(12), 7487–7508. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.2020 

Sterner, A., Ramstrand, N., Palmér, L., & Hagiwara, M. A. (2021). A study of factors that predict novice nurses’ perceived ability to provide care in acute situations. Nursing Open, 8(4), 1958–1969. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.871 

NURS FPX 6107 Assessment 1 Curriculum Overview, Framework, and Analysis

Wangpitipanit, S., Lininger, J., & Anderson, N. (2024). Exploring the deep learning of artificial intelligence in nursing: A concept analysis with Walker and Avant’s approach. BMC Nursing, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-02170-x

Appendix 

Table 1

Course Descriptions