The Development of a New BSN Program - Paper Example

The Change from ADN Program to BSN Program

The two-year associate degree nursing program (ADN) has been attractive to many students since it takes less time to complete, and the attainment of an RN license also provides a quick pathway to the workforce (Babbo, Fought, Holk, Mulligan, & Perrone, 2013). However, the change from the ADN to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is premised on the evolution in the medical field where most major medical centers have been showing a preference towards nurses with four-year degrees.

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Factors That Influence the Change

Understandably, the change from the ADN to BSN program has been influenced by several factors key among them are the institutional and social factors. Concerning the institutional factors, many medical centers have expressed the need to hire nurses that have completed the four-year BSN program as they are considered to be having adequate knowledge and skills to effectively navigate in the contemporary medicine and nursing field that has been continually evolving. Moreover, most hospitals and other healthcare facilities have been spending much money in training the ADN nurses to acquire the Bachelor degree, and this has informed the decision for the Hartford Community College to change to the BSN program. Besides, the change has also been influenced by the social factors where nurses have grown the desire to acquire broader education and hence improve their earnings (Babbo et al., 2013). Also, many nurses often receive the social pressure where individuals who have undergone the ADN program are not held in high regard in the society, and this informs why many nurses have become convinced that the BSN program is the way to go.

External Forces

It is instructive to note that some external forces have influenced the decision to change from the ADN program to the BSN program. Regarding this change, one of the most critical external forces is the Institute of Medicine (IMO).

The Institute of Medicine (IMO)

The IMO is an autonomous nonprofit organization that is charged with the responsibility of providing impartial and reliable advice to key decision making organs and the public. The health and the medical field across the world have been changing, and the organization has credibly advised that there is need to shift focus towards the development of the BSN program to plug the massive demand for the four-year degree program across the world. Moreover, the decision to shift to the BSN program was premised on the organization's insight on the current nursing and medicine trends that require nurses to have a Bachelor degree in Nursing.

Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN)

Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) focuses on the challenges to prepare nurses with the competencies require to persistently enhancing the quality and safety of the health care system. Concerning the contribution of the QSEN towards the BSN program, the institution will have to adopt the Institute of Medicine competencies for nursing such as evidence-based practice, safety, quality enhancement, patient-centered care, and teamwork and collaboration among other skills (Dolansky & Moore, 2013). By exploring such competencies, the institution will also come up with definitions that may further explain the fundamental features of a competent nurse. QSEN will ensure the coming nurses consistently participate in optimizing the safety and quality of the health care systems. In collaboration with the program implementation team, QSEN will provide quid lines for proper education and training of nurses with much focus on competency (Dolansky & Moore, 2013). The body also has the mandate to ensure that every graduate in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing only possess the nursing license after meeting the quality and safety need through enquiring the required knowledge and skills in the nursing profession (Dolansky & Moore, 2013). The challenge will be on the Bachelor of Science in nursing students to equip themselves with the stipulated policies and regulations provided by the QSEN, specifically in ensuring competency for the graduates.

Rationale of the Recommendation

The reason for choosing Quality and Safety Education for nurses in the program is that the program aims at improving both the faculty of nursing to acquire adequate knowledge and training in school and to enhance proper health care in the society. Because QSEN has the capacity and the mandate to ensure students graduating in the faculty of nursing are competent and able to provide proper health care to the public, BSN program should prioritize its collaboration with the institution to achieve a better outcome (Babbo et al., 2013). More imperatively, having the passion, and getting such competency is a boost and job security for the nurses.

Barrier of the Recommendation

Concerning the barriers to the implementation of QSEN in the program, the institution may face the challenge of faculty shortage. The demand for faculty training, education and the need for educational materials to successfully execute QSEN into the BSN program may be a greater challenge. The gap in the implementation of QSEN competencies can be the method of evaluation; thus, the program may fail to evaluate the understanding of the students and the integration of the QSEN competencies into the BSN program (Dolansky & Moore, 2013). Consequently, the barrier may hinder the implementation of QSEN competencies in the program.

Cognitivism Learning Theory

The cognitivism learning theory focuses on mental processes such as memory, problem-solving, and thinking, among others. The theory views individuals to be rational and who have the inherent need to participate actively in the learning process. Furthermore, the theory is premised on the foundation that people do not merely react to the environmental stimuli but rather engage in rational processing of the information they receive (Ertmer, & Newby, 2013). Notably, the cognitivism as a learning theory would play an integral role in the development of critical thinking skills in the BSN program. The BSN program by all standards takes much time, and resources than the ADN program and the cognitive approach would help create emphasis on what is going on in the student's head and put much focus on the mental processes (Ertmer, & Newby, 2013). The complexity of the BSN program would require the cognitive learning theory in developing a clear structure by incorporating the contemporary issues in the medicine and health field as well as the problem-solving capacity of the students after they begin pursuing the program (Ertmer, & Newby, 2013). More imperatively, the new BSN program will be anchored on the critical thinking skills, and therefore, cognitivism will provide a breakthrough in concentrating on the mental capacity of the students in processing the new information inherent in the four-year BSN program.

Advantages of Cognitivism

Cognitivism is instrumental in several ways in the development of the new BSN program, and they include the following; firstly, cognitivism helps in the development of the problem-solving skills where the students are taught the necessary skills that they require for effective learning (Ertmer, & Newby, 2013). This will be essential in the new BSN program, which is dependent on the problem-solving skills of the learners. Secondly, cognitivism plays a significant role in improving and promoting long-term learning (Ertmer, & Newby, 2013). It is worth noting that cognitivism instills cognitive skills in learners that help them in enhancing their knowledge and ideas.

Disadvantages

Some of the notable weaknesses of cognitivism concerning the development of a new BSN program are; firstly, the cognitivism learning theory is anchored on controlled experiments (Ertmer, & Newby, 2013). The responses of learners are likely to be skewed, particularly when they are observed from a controlled environment. Secondly, cognitivism has a significant dependence on the fact that everything determined by the cognitive processes (Ertmer, & Newby, 2013). The theory does not appreciate the fact the human behavior can be influenced by other factors such as biological structures.

Authentic Learning Philosophy

The authentic learning concept is a constructivist methodology of instructions that enhance active learning in students through relating the learning to the real-world matters, as well as the situations and contexts which are significant to the student's learning. There are several types of authentic learning such as the project-based, inquiry-based, and simulation-based learning. Such learning usually takes the form of creativity in education: the learner collects the research data, develop media, arguments for debate, and learning portfolio (Babbo et al., 2013). Contemporary, there are many ways in which the authentic learning concept occurs in the classroom, especially for undergraduate students (Babbo et al., 2013). It can occur by simply allowing students to employ course reading to situations corresponding to the subject matter. For instance, a student works a team to make a business plan for an organization in a business course. Equally, a student in the analysis class can work in a team to enter data in the system to detect inefficiencies. Finally, a professor of history may work in collaboration with the local museum to help a student in developing for the expected exhibit, as well as inviting other groups to observe the historical research of the student.

Advantage of Authentic Learning Philosophy

The merit in the authentic learning philosophy is the relevancy of the concept in the field of education. The students become highly motivated to learn due to the relevance of learning. They naturally develop increased inquiry skills, and they can as well be highly absorbed with the working content (Babbo et al., 2013). The most significant thing about authentic learning is that it has more impact on the...