Nationwide Concept Based Curriculum Survey Analysis

Susan Sportsman, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN

Director of Academic Consulting Group

A Service of Elsevier

PURPOSE:

Identify the opinions of administrators of nursing programs regarding the extent to which Concept Based Curricula (CBC) has been implemented in the U.S.

Analyze the opinions of administrators of nursing programs regarding their opinions of the effectiveness of CBC.

Survey conducted in April, 2013

Requests sent to Elsevier NHP email list of Deans & Directors of Nursing Programs

Respondents

A total of 348 individuals across the country responded.

oCBC adopters – representatives of organizations that currently use a concept based nursing curriculum. The majority have adopted CBC in the last 4-5 years

oCBC non-adopters – representatives of organizations that currently do not use a concept based nursing curriculum

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$5 to the Nurse Faculty Leadership Academy, a program of Sigma Theta Tau International, for every response

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What is your primary position at your institution?

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The largest group of respondents occupy a director position at their institutions

Which best describes your institution?

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Please indicate the programs for which your institution is currently developing a concept based nursing curriculum.

(select all that apply)

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Does a program in your institution currently use a CBC? Does your institution plan to develop a CBC?

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Please indicate the programs for which your institution is currently developing a concept based nursing curriculum.

(select all that apply)

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• The majority of institutions that are currently developing a CBC are ADN programs.

Has your institution graduated any students from its concept based nursing curriculum?

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Was there a significant change in NCLEX pass rates, compared to students in previous curricula?

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• Roughly one third of respondents representing institutions which have graduated students from nursing CBC programs indicate that these students generally have higher NCLEX pass rates.

• However, the most common answer for this group is that they have not yet seen any changes to NCLEX pass rates

Please rate your agreement with the following statements, based on your PAST EXPERIENCE. Students who are enrolled in a concept based nursing curriculum…

• Overall, CBC impacts students the following ways: Students are more confident in their ability to make appropriate clinical judgments in their first job and students are more likely to be satisfied with their clinical /classroom experiences during nursing school.

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Please rate your agreement with the following statements, based on your PAST EXPERIENCE. Students who are enrolled in a concept based nursing curriculum…

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• A half to two thirds of non-adopters do not know the answer to the questions posed on the impact of CBC.

• Adopters tend to be much more familiar with this topic, and are able to provide a rating to each question (we factored out “don’t know” answer choices in the adjacent graph).

Preceptors who work with students who are enrolled in a concept based nursing curriculum...

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• The majority of CBC adopters believe that preceptors who work with CBC-enrolled students are more likely to rate higher their level of confidence and clinical performance. Overall, the majority of CBC non-

adopters did not have enough knowledge to make a judgment regarding instructors teaching CBC-enrolled students.

After graduation, employers who hire students who have been enrolled in a concept based curriculum describe new graduates who were enrolled in a concept based curriculum as more prepared for practice than new graduates who were enrolled in a traditional nursing curriculum

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Summary

Approximately 27% of respondents had adopted a CBC

Approximately 73% have not adopted a CBC.

Of those that currently do not use CBC, roughly one third is developing CBC.

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GRADUATION

60% of institutions that use CBC have already graduated students.

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NCLEX Success in CBC Programs

One third of respondents who were adopters indicate that students graduating from CBC generally have higher NCLEX pass rates

42 % report no change in NCLEX pass rates

5% claim it had a detrimental impact on pass rates

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Clinical Practice

Most CBC adopters believe that preceptors are more likely to be satisfied with these students’ clinical performance and confidence

Nearly half of CBC adopters agree that employers of CBC graduates view these new professionals as more prepared for practice.

CBC non-adopters are much less likely to agree with these statements mainly due to their lack of familiarity with CBC outcomes (as reflected in a very high rate of “don’t know” responses).

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