Paper
Friday, July 23, 2004
Trends in Registered Nurse Education Programs 1998-2008: A National Study
Helen J. Streubert Speziale, EdD, RN, Nursing Department, Nursing Department, College Misericordia, Dallas, PA, USA
| Learning Objective #1: Describe emerging trends in nursing education |
| Learning Objective #2: Evaluate the relevance of the findings to the nursing faculty role |
In 1999, the Connecticut Colleagues in Caring Team conducted a pilot study “to identify how the practices, methodologies, and strategies used in RN nurse education programs changed in the previous five years and were expected to change in the next five years” (Adams & Valiga, 2002, p. 6). The purpose of the current research was to replicate the pilot study. The original questionnaire was modified and mailed to 1459 nursing programs in the spring of 2003. Response rate was 46.8%. Schools were asked to comment on the extent to which they emphasized 187 dimensions in 2003 as compared to that item’s emphasis in 1998, and to forecast the emphasis in 2008. Items are reported in this analysis when 50 percent of the schools were in agreement about a trend. In the curriculum category, six items reached the level of importance. Thirteen items reached the 50% threshold for the teaching category, four in the evaluation, three in clinical/laboratory, six in faculty and two in the student section. This paper will share the results of this study, draw important conclusions, offer recommendations and ask some significant questions about the results of the study especially based on program type responses. One thing is consistent throughout the findings. Technology is an important part of what nurse educators do and it will continue to grow in its importance. This trend will require faculty development to realize meaningful growth. It is also evident that in the areas of teaching and learning, strategies will be more learner focused. The findings of this study validate many of the trends found in the original pilot study. There are new areas that were not present four years ago. The findings of this study will offer important insights for nursing education planning and development in the future.
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Sigma Theta Tau International
July 22-24, 2004