Student Learning Outcomes and Integration of Professional Standards NURS FPX 6107 Assessment 1 Curriculum Overview, Framework, and Analysis

1. Deliver safe and quality care to patients in acute and chronic care situations. The goal is to prepare nurses to promote health and continuity of care to diverse patients throughout their lifespan in all healthcare settings. This outcome follows the AACN (2021) principle of health promotion and QSEN competency of maintaining quality and safety during nursing care (Ferro & Yoder, 2023).
2. The learning outcome focusing on QSEN competency and professional standard of evidence-based practice (Ferro & Yoder, 2023) is preparing students to effectively utilize technology, data, and science, improving patient health outcomes.  
3. Show leadership qualities in healthcare organizations while caring for patients and populations. Students demonstrating leadership abilities by becoming team leads and managers are evidence of AACN professional standards, which endorse the integration of leadership in nursing education (AACN, 2021). 
4. Demonstrate collaboration while working with interprofessional teams to deliver safe care and expand health outcomes using effective communication skills. This particular outcome is interlinked with QSEN’s competency of teamwork and collaboration, which is essential for nursing to produce quality nursing practice (Ferro & Yoder, 2023).

Summary of the Process to Update Healthcare Knowledge and Justification

Various methods exist to update healthcare knowledge in the nursing curriculum, including a systematic curriculum revision cycle. This method requires interprofessional collaboration among nursing faculty, healthcare professionals, and organizational stakeholders to assess and identify the program’s alignment with the current evidence-based practices, healthcare trends in clinical settings, and evolving professional standards (Oermann, 2019). The curriculum development or revision process has a six-step process: Initially, a needs assessment is performed according to the changing clinical environment, evidence-based research, and progressing professional standards and nursing competencies.

Then, the content is defined based on faculty involvement and students’ feedback, and specific goals and objectives are established. The next step is to select educational strategies and the mode of content delivery, followed by implementation and evaluation of the curriculum to recognize positive outcomes and identify further areas of improvement (Schneiderhan et al., 2019). This process can be justified by its ability to ensure relevant content is added to the curriculum as a response to the advancing healthcare environment and principles. Moreover, this iterative approach fosters a culture of continuous improvement in nursing education.

Explanation of the Organizing Design and Theoretical Framework

The BSN curriculum offered by the University of Michigan SON follows the modular competency-based curriculum design with Benner’s Novice to Expert Model theory. Modular competence-based design structures the curriculum into minor components based on specific competencies required for the students (Dejene, 2019). As evident in U-M SON’s BSN curriculum, each nursing care theoretical concept, clinical skills, and competencies are segregated using semester systems to ensure that by the end of the program, students receive a holistic understanding of healthcare concepts and nursing care.

On the other hand, Benner’s model focuses on advancing nursing students from novice to expert professionals  (Graf et al., 2020). The curriculum is structured around Benner’s stages of proficiency, ensuring that students move from basic nursing skills to advanced clinical reasoning and decision-making. For instance, in the initial semesters, the curriculum covers fundamental concepts that connect with advanced nursing care and practices. Such courses include Context of Care I and II, Therapeutic Nursing Care I, II, and III, and Introduction of Psychology and Introduction to Developmental Psychology.

Historical Overview of Organizing Design and Theoretical Framework

The modular curriculum design dates back to the 1960s. It was established in response to the increasing demand for flexible and competence-based learning experiences. Since the approach breaks down the curriculum into smaller components, it provides the students with an explicit understanding of the essential concepts. One of the first supporters of modular curriculum design was Robert Gagné. In the 1960s, Gagné proposed that learning becomes more effective when the concepts are divided into smaller components (Berger-Estilita & Greif, 2020).

This approach correlates with the modular design, which is evident in U-M SON’s BSN curriculum. Moreover, the program provides flex