Nursing Degree Course Research Articles

Nursing models in the curriculum: the nursing degree course at Bristol Polytechnic

This article discusses the use of nursing models as a basis for curriculum planning in a Nursing degree course. Each module in the course is based on a Nursing model, as are assessment of theoretical aspects and of nursing competencies. Rationales for the structure of the course and choice of models are given, and the article concludes by emphasising the need for continuing evaluation of this way of planning and implementing the curriculum.

Career paths of experienced graduates

Degree courses for experienced nurses are increasing. Mary Fraser and Bob Titherington consider what questions need to be asked about their contribution to nursing

A survey of the attitudes of senior nurses towards graduate nurses.

This small scale survey is one aspect of a larger study of the progress and function of graduates of a nursing degree course. There is very little current literature regarding the views of senior nurses on the role and function of graduate nurses. The aim of this study was not to survey all senior nurses, but to obtain the views of senior nurses in the areas where graduates included in the main study were working. A descriptive survey approach was taken using postal questionnaires to ascertain views on the role and function of graduate nurses. Six chief nurses and 11 directors of nursing and midwifery services returned the questionnaires. The results showed varied views on whether graduates should and do function differently to traditionally trained nurses and interesting comments were made in relation to this. The implications of the study are important, since the views of senior nurses are likely to influence the posts held by graduates and the way they function within those posts, and there is a need for a more in-depth study of this area.

The assessment of interprofessional relationships in nursing within a management syllabus in a nursing degree course

Nursing involves work in an interprofessional arena. This work involves nurses in negotiations about patient care with other health professionals. In order to be effective in this area of their work nurses need to understand the nature of these negotiations and their underlying principles. This paper outlines a course component aimed at giving students this understanding, and the assessment procedure which follows the component is described. It is argued that this assessment procedure is a method of enhancing interprofessional understanding and student performance in the assessment is discussed.

A follow-up of the graduates of the 3-year post-registration Bachelor of Nursing degree course in the University of Wales.

This paper considers several aspects of the graduates of the 3-year Bachelor of Nursing course at the University of Wales College of Medicine. These include career progression, perceptions of the usefulness of aspects of the course, and the reactions of others to the fact that they have a degree. Information was elicited by a postal questionnaire which is administered annually to all graduates. The findings of the study are clearly limited due to a small sample size. They do, however, indicate that the graduates of the course so far have stayed in nursing posts, largely in teaching and administration, and the loss to the profession has been extremely small. Overall, the graduates found many aspects of the course very useful to posts held, and experienced various reactions of other professionals to the fact that they had a degree. Due to the relatively short time that this course has been in existence and the fact that the first groups were very small in number, the findings of the study merely suggest trends in the career patterns and perceptions of graduates which need to be continually monitored before statements can be made with confidence. They do, however, have implications when considering the function and contribution of these nurse graduates to the nursing profession.

A follow-up of the graduates of the Cardiff Bachelor of Nursing degree course.

This paper considers the career patterns of the graduates of the University of Wales College of Medicine Bachelor of Nursing course. The 4-year course commenced in 1972 and has now seen 11 years of graduates. A longitudinal questionnaire survey has been administered annually to graduates of the course to ascertain information relating to the posts held and qualifications gained by graduates, which is the focus of this paper. The questionnaire also elicits graduates' perceptions of the value of aspects of the degree course to posts held, and the reaction of colleagues to the fact that they are nurse graduates. The results of the follow-up are presented to show the posts held by graduates at four time intervals; 6 months, 2 years and 5 years following graduation, and all graduates at the 1986 follow-up. The numbers of those who have obtained various post-registration qualifications are also presented. The findings support those of other follow-up studies of nurse graduates and diplomats. The graduates largely entered nursing or related posts, with the majority remaining in clinical-based posts as opposed to teaching and administration. The findings lead to further questions regarding the role and function of the nursing graduate. Further study is currently in progress to compare various elements of the practice style of Bachelor of Nursing graduates with non-graduate nurses.

Forum critical of funding available for nursing study.

Very little provision is made for nurses to be able to study for higher degress and undertake research, according to the RCN's Forum of Integrated and Degree Courses in Nursing. The forum has just published a paper outlining the funding available for those wanting to take nursing courses and condemning the number and size of grants available to nurses.

Formal teaching about death and dying in UK nursing schools

This article reports the findings of a short questionnaire survey of UK nursing schools conducted in May 1984. Only basic SRN/RGN and SEN/EN courses and nursing degree courses were surveyed. All respondents provided formal instruction about death and dying. Those who evaluated their teaching were most likely to be positive about its effects. The main reservations expressed related to the differences between ‘in school’ and ward experiences.

The feasibility of students with a predominantly arts educational background coping with the physiology component of a university nursing degree programme.

In this paper the authors discuss their experiences in admitting students with an arts 'A' (advanced) level General Certificate of Education background to an undergraduate nursing degree course. Firstly, the implications of students' different cognitive styles, both professionally and in teaching, are examined. Secondly, there is a description of an introductory course that has been used to assist students in the arts-science transition. Finally, the performance of 'arts' students, in a physiology course over a 6-year period is described, analysed and discussed. The proposition emerges that arts students may be disadvantaged initially by having not only a lack of knowledge in physiology, but a different cognitive style to science specialists. The results of the students' examination performance over 6 years suggests that with the provision of only a limited amount of special help 'arts' students can perform as well as the 'science' students in physiology examinations. Other variables which may have contributed to this positive outcome are discussed.

Advanced psychiatric nursing education in Britain.

This paper examines the British provision for advanced education in psychiatric nursing. Information was derived from a review of the literature, personal contacts with nurse educationalists, and an undergraduate project supervized by the author. After operationally defining advanced education, the paper describes courses at pre- and post-registration levels. These include degree, diploma, clinical, educational and managerial courses. The psychiatric component of nursing degree courses is also considered. Current provision is critically discussed and compared with similar courses for general nurses and educational provision abroad. The paper analyses how and why the current situation has occurred and the effects of current provision on psychiatric nursing practice. The paper concludes with proposals for future developments. These include recommendations for higher education based courses and consideration of a single register of nurses.

Interdisciplinary integration in the nursing degree course at the Federal University of Ceará. An account of our experience

O presente trabalho relata uma experiência que vem sendo desenvolvida há sete anos no curso de graduação em enfermagem da Universidade Federal do Ceará. Trata-se de uma integração interdisciplinar que abrange as disciplinas Fundamentos de Enfermagem II e Enfermagem Médico-Cirúrgica I realizada com o objetivo precípuo de favorecer o processo ensino-aprendizagem. As autoras do trabalho consideram válida a experiência, uma vez que permite ao estudante perceber o cliente como um todo no que diz respeito ao atendimento das necessidades básicas afetadas. Além disso as "experiências de aprendizagem" sendo desenvolvidas de forma integrada possibilitam que sejam viven-ciadas, no mesmo semestre letivo, situações-problemas de clientes clínico-cirúrgicos e ambulatoriais nos mais diversos níveis de complexidade.

Nursing and higher education.

Gladys Carter, an eminent Canadian nurse holding a "Boots" fellowship at the University of Edinburgh, in 1954 set out lucidly the ways in which the nursing profession would benefit from an increase of university graduates among its members. Since then the University of Edinburgh has been playing a prominent part in conducting courses at undergraduate and intermediate degree levels and a considerable number of nurses have obtained M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees by research. There are now many other institutions of tertiary education which provide the opportunity for nurses to study for degrees and an increasing number of graduates enter colleges of nursing for nurse training. Using the Edinburgh experience as a starting point, the article discusses the value of degree courses to individual students and the potential value of graduates to the nursing profession. It is distressing, however, that graduates themselves do not appear to have career aspirations commensurate with their qualifications and that the profession in the United Kingdom still fails to find graduates to fill senior posts. Those who studied for university degrees after having established themselves in nursing appear more likely to be promoted to senior positions than those who have taken degree courses in nursing. The contribution of graduates to the establishment of a body of nursing knowledge and the role that the universities play in the research endeavour is discussed.

Universities and nursing education.

Trends reflected by Department of Health and Social Security statistics on the nursing workforce are examined and the ratios between grades discussed. Recruitment into nursing degree courses in the UK is considered in relation to overall recruitment into nursing. The somewhat ambiguous position of nursing degree courses in the UK leads into consideration of policy statements by the universities and the nursing profession. The importance of such policies is emphasized in the current financial climate, as are the potential contributions of university departments to professional debate, for example standards of care. Comparisons are drawn between the goals of courses involving full-time studentships as opposed to part-time apprenticeships and the present boundaries between these noted, especially in relation to the expanding roles of courses. On-going research into the preparation of nurse-tutors in the UK is mentioned, together with a preliminary analysis of the academic basis in the biological sciences possessed by learners and tutors. Out of this is derived a suggestion that the present-day shortage of nurse teachers could be helped by varying the existing patterns of recruitment, especially involving subject specialists in the biological, behavioural and social sciences.

Innovation in nursing education: the Hull experience

AT THE END of September, 1981, the first 11 students graduated with honours in nursing sciences from Hull University. This is a great personal triumph for them. Being the first group on any new course is far from easy, while reading for a degree in nursing is in itself extremely demanding. It is impossible to know how a lecture course or practical class will turn out in reality, however carefully it has been planned, so many 'teething problems' will be experienced by the 'guinea-pig' group. Furthermore, the individuals themselves realise they are setting the standard by which the course and subsequent groups will be judged. For students on a nursing degree course there is the added stress ofacting as ambassadors for the course and so laying the foundations for the acceptability of future degree students in the wards and community. There is no respite from this. As each new clinical experience arrives the student works with staff who have had no previous contact with degree course students. In some ways, the course at Hull has been a pioneering one. Jointly with Chelsea College it was the first course in a British university to lead to an honours degree in nursing. The University is situated within a rather isolated area of the country, and not only is there no teaching hospital for more than 50 miles but the local hospitals also had little experience of providing clinical practice for student nurses other than those following a conventional three-year course. However, a modular scheme of training has been in progress in the school of nursing based on Hull Royal Infirmary for many years. Uniquely, the Hull nursing degree course is associated with an Area Health Authority and not a District Authority. It says much for the goodwill and hard work of trained nurses within Humberside Area Health Authority that the course has been successful.

Inter-relating nursing care and the social sciences: specialist disciplines in an applied course

An integral part of any occupation’s struggle for autonomy and recognition as a profession is the development of long periods of training, leading to more exacting entry qualifications. This trend can be observed in many of the para-medical occupations, and not least in nursing, where degree courses have already been initiated at Newcastle, Leeds, and South Bank Polytechnics, and at Manchester, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Hull Universities. Other Universities and Polytechnics are planning to commence Nursing Degree courses in the near future. One important development in such higher level courses has been an acknowledgement of the role played in nursing care by social and psychological factors. Thus, for example, in the Council for National Academic Awards degree in Nursing which we teach on at Leeds Polytechnic, around 20% of the students’ total class contact time (not including clinical practice) is devoted to the study of the social sciences. The rationale for giving the social sciences such a sizable proportion of an already crowded curriculum seems to go along the following lines: in their work as qualified nurses, students will have to use their professional skills with people for whom being ill is usually an interlude. When people become ill they do so as members of a complex social and psychological setting. A stay in hospital may temporarily withdraw them from this setting, but if treatment is to be accounted successful, patients must still be able to operate competently in it on their discharge from hospital. Additionally, a significant proportion of the nursing profession’s work-community care and illness prevention-is carried out outside the hospital’s walls. If nurses are to make optimal use of their nursing skills, they need to understand the kinds of factors which make up this environment-factors such as social class, the family, race, education, personality, intelligence, roles, behaviour in small groups, patterns of human development. Such a rationale for the inclusion of social science content in nursing courses gives way almost imperceptibly to assumptions about the way this content should be presented. Initially it seemed only fitting that the structure of the social science contribution to the nursing degree at Leeds Polytechnic should tend to mimic that of combined degree courses in psychology and sociology. Our course had the traditional university

Paradoxes and the undergraduate student nurse

It seems that the nursing experience is very different from the university life and that inevitably this produces conflict and adjustment difficulties for degree course student nurses. “At college the whole aim of the course was to encourage individual and independent thinking. We came into nursing having been trained like this to find a great lack of it. The whole idea seems to be to catch girls young and train them into traditional ways of thought and practice unquestioningly. This seems largely what happens and although many nurses complain often about their training they seldom question the possibility of changing it or have any positive ideas about a better course. The same applies in the ward situation where they are very conscious of the hierarchy and seldom question an order from ‘above’ or the way a thing is done if it is always done like that.” The two types of institution enjoy differetnt philosophies, organisational structures, atmospheres and interpersonal relationships. It is felt by some students that the degree course “works against nursing” in encouraging “maturity and wider experience of life” so that they are “less narrow-minded” and have “broader horizons” than might otherwise be the case. “A degree and university life tends to make one unsatisfied with the routine and discipline of nursing and especially the medical hierarchy—though not lessening the satisfaction of the actual work with patients.” The undergraduate nurse may not always be able to adjust to the idea that she is perceived as “a hard worker in university and a layabout in hospital”; that she is allowed freedom of thought on the one hand and is required to do as he is told on the other; and that she may be accepted in one institution and resented in the other. Perhaps it is rather naive to see degree courses for nurses as a “different approach to nursing”. They are better seen as a very broad educational experience which demands participation in two vitally different cultures with different socialisation processes, norms and sanctions. It may be that learning to live in one results in alienation from the other, in which case to what extent is the idea of a graduate being able to use her full potential in nursing an impossible goal? “The general idea is that we should become better nurses by having had a university career and in this respect I think it is true— if after 3 yr (or whatever) at university the undergraduate still wants to nurse. The two lives are chalk and cheese.”