Definition of Curriculum: Medical-Surgical Nursing

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Table of Contents

Introduction
The Notion of Curriculum
Curriculum Development in Health Care
Surgical Nursing as a Practice Area
Curriculum Development in Medical-Surgical Nursing
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Curriculum is a basic element of education and training in all fields. One of the main requirements to the curriculum is correspondence to the needs of the students’ and trainees’ current or future profession. This work is aimed at considering the peculiarities of curriculum in health care education and, particularly, in medical-surgical nursing. The research includes the overview of the American printed and electronic sources devoted to curriculum design in practice-based professional education.

The Notion of Curriculum

Curriculum is an integrated set of educational activities developed for any educational or training program. The structure and content of a curriculum depends substantially on current or expected professional field of the trainees.

The importance of curriculum development activity exceeds planning and development of educational programs. A curriculum is a strategic element which defines the whole concept of education by means of combining different approaches and methods used in teaching. A curriculum developer should understand education as an integral process with all its elements harmonized.

Curriculum Development in Health Care

Health care education has its peculiarities defined by this practice area and sets a range of tasks for the curriculum developer. Separate requirements for the curriculum design in this field are considered below.

An important aspect which should be considered when developing a curriculum in health care education is continuity, as health care is a field where the knowledge and experience are passed through generations. For example, Putnam’s article about education in nursing (2010) describes the experience of interaction between nursing students of Bachelor level and the high school “protégés”, which promises faster development of the higher school students’ skills and knowledge.

The modern USA training programs provide the opportunities for the international exchange of knowledge and experience. Nowadays the curricula should meet the requirements of the modern multicultural educational environment: they should stimulate sharing the experience between the professionals from different countries of the World (Baka et al 181).

Surgical Nursing as a Practice Area

Medical-surgical nursing is focused on care for primarily adult patients. The responsibilities of a medical-surgical nurse may include home health care, long-term care, urgent care, or work in the surgical centers. A medical-surgical nurse provides pre-operative care, which implies monitoring a patient’s condition, preparing him for the operation, and providing necessary information to the anesthesiologist and the surgeon, as well as post-operative care, which includes monitoring different aspects of a patient’s recovery.

The profession of a medical-surgical nurse always stays on the cutting edge and absorbs all the new tendencies, that is why curriculum for education in this field also should be flexible and innovative.

Curriculum Development in Medical-Surgical Nursing

Besides the general requirements for the curriculum in health care education mentioned above, it is possible to outline some specific features of a curriculum in medical-surgical nursing. The basic criteria for the curriculum in nursing education are its relevance to the context, feasibility, providing opportunities for the students to achieve the planned results; the curriculum should be logical and integrated (Iwasiw, Goldenberg, & Andrusyszyn, 2009). The curriculum should also provide the optimal proportion between theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Internship and volunteering give a perfect opportunity to approach close to the practical activity.

As well, a curriculum designed for preparing nurses should be oriented on bringing up the professionals able to meet the requirements of their country in terms of professional competencies, ethical principles, quality control etc. (See-Educoop.Net).

Another important aspect is providing career opportunities for the students. Modern career opportunities in every profession, besides the professional activity itself, are extended by research and lecturing, consulting, public speaking and writing, working in governmental organizations, etc. That is why the curriculum in health education should provide opportunity to obtain skills in critical thinking, goal setting and teamwork, analysis and synthesis, public speaking and academic writing. The second pillar of providing career opportunities is the interdisciplinary approach in education: it helps to bring up broad-minded specialists, competent in different fields, and competitive in the labor market.

Conclusion

A curriculum designer working in the field of health care education has a complicated task, which implies developing a complex educational program aimed at bringing up specialists who will be able to meet the requirements of their patients, future employing organizations, and the whole national health care system. In the modern world, the curriculum in nursing education should provide interdisciplinary knowledge, diverse skills, and international exchange in experience in order to make the trainees competitive in the labor market.

References

Baka, A., et al. (2007). A Curriculum for Training Healthcare Workers in the Management of Highly Infectious Diseases. Eurosurveillance, 12. Web.

Curriculum Design for Practice-Based Professions. (n.d.). See-Educoop.Net. 2010. Web.

Iwasiw, C.L., Goldenberg, D., & Andrusyszyn, M.-A. (2009). Curriculum Development in Nursing Education. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

Putnam, J., Lasiter, S., & Colon, T. (2010). Pumping up the Protégées: Innovative Social Learning Using Psychomotor Learning Strategies. Journal of Nursing Education 49(1), 60-64.

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