how to develop and improve nurse education

What are the goals of higher education: to prepare a person for success in a specific career path, or to cultivate virtues like critical thinking, good citizenship, and moral reasoning? Bok (2006) suggests that colleges and universities consider combining these two purposes to create an ideal educational environment. It is possible to create a program that promotes higher order thinking while also promoting vocational development.
Ultimately, Bok (2006) presents the following eight aims of higher education:
· Communication
· Critical Thinking
· Moral Reasoning
· Preparing Citizens
· Living With Diversity
· Living in a More Global Society
· Breadth of Interests
· Preparation for Work
Nursing majors seem to be concerned with some, but not all, of Bok’s (2006) eight aims. The features most frequently mentions as being important in a nursing program include:
· Preparation for Work
· Living With Diversity
· Moral Reasoning
· Critical Thinking
· Communication
Therefore, there is not too much of a difference between what is currently being taught in nursing programs, what students expect or want from those programs, and what Bok (2006) believes the aims of higher education should be. However, some students also differentiate between vocational and liberal arts approaches because most nursing programs are vocational.
Three of the most compelling arguments for a vocational program include:
· Direct pathway to career entry and progress
· The pragmatic nature of nursing requires specific skills and less time spent on theory
· Hands-on learning opportunities
Three of the most compelling arguments for a liberal arts program include:
· Exposure to new ways of looking at problems, and exposure to new subjects.
· Multidisciplinary approaches to nursing
· Improved critical thinking skills (knowing how to think, not what to think about)
The UHM Nursing Program is, I believe, attempting to blend the best of both worlds. By integrating theory with practice, the program introduces all students to the liberal arts method of education without dwelling too much on course material that might detract from what is essentially a vocational program.
At the same time, curriculum or program directors at UHM could consider expanding the nursing program to include two distinct tracts: one for liberal arts and another for vocational learning. There could be an option for a dual degree that combines both, but most students would then be able to choose the pathway that reflects their career goals and interests.
Whether there is a need for liberal arts education within a nursing program depends on the students. Some nursing students will thrive in a liberal arts setting, and might also find that their exposure to other subjects makes them an even better nurse who is able to effectively address patient and community needs from a broader perspective. Becoming a nurse leader and advocate also requires the types of skills that are developed within the liberal arts setting.
This assignment is tremendously helpful for considering the future of nursing education. I can understand both points of view, including those that believe that liberal arts is a unnecessary use of resources and those that believe that vocational training is empty without the sort of higher purpose that comes with liberal arts worldviews.
References
Bok, D.C. (2006). Purposes. In Our Underachieving Colleges. Princeton University Press.
Conrad, C. F., & Johnson, J. (eds.). (2012). College & university curriculum: Placing learning at the epicenter of courses, programs and institutions. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Pearson Custom publishing.
University of Hawai'i at Manoa - School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene (http://www.nursing.hawaii.edu)