Last week I talked on Dean Turpel’s Podcast about our end-of-program student learning outcomes, the first of which is Human Flourishing.
End-of-program student learning outcomes are determined by our nursing faculty. They don’t just pull them out of a hat, the outcomes integrate concepts from professional standards and the faculty review these standards and make educated decisions about how these should contribute to our own outcomes. These professional standards are the Florida Nurse Practice Act, the Florida Department of Education, the National League for Nursing (NLN), Quality and Safety Education for Nurses, the NCLEX-RN test plan, the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics, and the Nursing Process.
What does it mean when an ASN graduate meets the outcome of Human Flourishing? It means to us that the graduate is able to integrate culturally congruent care for patients and families across the entire lifespan, while being respectful of the diverse needs, values, and preferences of each.
The NLN (2010) states that an Associate of Science in Nursing degree graduate is competent in the outcome of Human Flourishing, when the graduate “advocates for patients and families in ways that promote self-determination, integrity, and ongoing growth as human beings.”
Notice that this is an end-of-program student learning outcome. We expect that you are able to do this by the end of the program. However, each course you take has objectives that contribute to you being able to reach this outcome by the end of the program. So, in NUR1020 (Process I), for example, you have the objective of being able, upon successful completion of the course, to describe effective, culturally sensitive communication strategies that you use when interacting with patients, families, and other members of the health care team.
That was just one example, as all of the objectives of all of your courses flow into the attainment of the end-of-program student learning outcomes.
How do we know when you’ve met the Human Flourishing end-of-program student learning outcome?
We measure that through the HESI Exit Exam that you take in NUR2811/NUR2801 and through the NCLEX. There are two areas on the HESI Exit Exam that tell us if you’ve met that outcome and these are the areas of Human Flourishing and Health Promotion and Maintenance (look up above at the NLN description and you can see how these match up). There is one area on the NCLEX and that is Health Promotion and Maintenance.
When each of you take the HESI Exit Exam, we get a report that tells us how you did on each area of the exam. We report the aggregate results (not your individual scores) on these areas to our team and then to our accrediting body. We discuss the results in faculty meetings and review any changes that we need to make in the program, based on the results.
It’s the same for the NCLEX. We get reports every six months that tell us how BC ASN grads did on different areas of the NCLEX. We discuss those results in faculty meetings and consider any changes we need to make.
We have, as a program, a Systematic Evaluation Plan (SEP). The end of program student learning outcomes are an important part of our SEP. There are many parts to the SEP, but they all contribute to our overall mission of
preparing competent, compassionate, and culturally sensitive entry-level nursing graduates whose professional practice encompasses legal and ethical decision making.
Reference
National League for Nursing (2010). Outcomes and Competencies for Graduates of Practical/Vocational, Deiploma, Associate Degree, Baccalaureate, Master’s Practice Doctorate and Research Doctor Programs in Nursing. NLN: New York, NY.