The Ottawa model for nursing curriculum renewal: An integrative review.

BACKGROUND: High-quality and relevant nursing education is needed to ensure graduates meet entry to practice competencies. Despite the important role of curricula in the development of nurses and the nursing profession, there does not appear to be a consistent or widely accepted approach to nursing curriculum renewal. OBJECTIVE: To identify and synthesize existing curriculum renewal/redesign practices, create an aggregated logic model depicting an evidence-informed process for nursing curriculum renewal, and stimulate dialogue about how to keep nursing curricula relevant in an ever-changing healthcare context. DESIGN: An integrative review, modeled on the Joanna Briggs Methodology of Systematic Reviews, of the available published articles, including empirical research and discussion articles. DATA SOURCES: We searched for quantitative, qualitative, and non-research literature (English and French) on full nursing programs or curriculum revisions for pre-licensure nursing students enrolled in an undergraduate or associate degree program. Databases included CINAHL, Nursing and Allied Health, and Medline from January 2010 to January 2017. We then did a hand search for articles from January 2017 to April 2019. SYNTHESIS: Extracted data were synthesized into an aggregated logic model based on Yin's method of cross-case analysis. Data included information about the internal context, the external context, drivers, the preparatory phase, the active phase, outcomes, and evaluation methods of the described curriculum renewal process. RESULTS: Twenty articles were included, which were published between 2010 and 2018. The resulting logic model, The Ottawa Model for Nursing Curriculum Renewal, includes information on the context, process and outcomes of the renewal process, and how and when to evaluate curricula. CONCLUSION: This synthesis aids in defining the process of curriculum renewal for undergraduate nursing education. It stimulates systems level thinking and reveals gaps, such as the need for further research into curriculum evaluation. The Ottawa Model for Nursing Curriculum Renewal is a usable template to aid educators undertaking their own process of curriculum renewal.

Survey of educators' end-of-life care learning needs in a Canadian baccalaureate nursing programme.

AIM: To examine the potential need for faculty development in end-of-life care (EOLC) of theory and clinical educators in a collaborative bilingual undergraduate nursing programme in a Canadian university. METHOD: A purposive sample of 53 Anglophone and Francophone theory and clinical educators completed the Palliative Care Quiz for Nursing, the Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying Scale and an adapted Educators Educational Needs Questionnaire (Patterson et al, 1997). RESULTS: Results indicated that educators held positive attitudes towards caring for dying patients and had modest knowledge levels. Participants identified personal educational needs, preferred learning formats, support and barriers to teaching EOLC and to their participation in continuing educational programmes. Strategies to enhance the teaching and learning of EOLC content in the theory and clinical context were suggested. CONCLUSION: Nurse educators require time, opportunities and relevant resources to develop the competencies required to support the theoretical and experiential learning of students in EOLC. Recommendations include a variety of approaches for faculty development initiatives, including face to face and virtual, which allow nurse educators to share expertise.

Providing direction for change: assessing Canadian nursing students learning needs.

AIM: To examine the current curriculum content and learning needs of graduating nursing students related to end-of-life care (EOLC). DESIGN: A survey method was employed. SAMPLE: A purposive sample of 58 Anglophone and Francophone students completed the Palliative Care Quiz for Nursing (PCQN) and Frommelt's Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying Scale (FATCOD). Students responded to open-ended questions regarding perceptions of preparedness to care for terminally ill patients, and provided suggestions for changes to the curriculum. Key informant educators identified opportunities to include EOLC content in courses and clinical placements. RESULTS: Results indicated that students held positive attitudes towards caring for dying patients, had modest knowledge levels, and that one third did not feel adequately prepared to care for dying patients. Although EOLC education tends to be threaded throughout the program, the emphasis is dependent upon the commitment of individual professors and clinical instructors with experience and/or expertise in this area. CONCLUSION: Students and educators agreed more emphasis on EOLC was needed. Recommendations include development of teaching strategies and experiential learning in EOLC throughout the curriculum.