Curriculum Development Positive Planning for the Future

1. Curriculum Development Positive Planning for the Future Dr Morag Campbell October 2009

2. Expectations of a New Curriculum for Student Nurses and Midwives in Serbia • Harmonisation of nurse and midwife education in to higher education • in Serbia. • Preparation and implementation of a culturally sensitive curriculum that meets the European Union Standards for Nursing and Midwifery • (Wallace 2001). • Recognition of need for personal and professional development and life long learning at all levels of nursing and midwifery, novice to expert, including policy makers, educators and managers. • Facilitation of the essential knowledge, skills and competencies required by European Union Standards for Nursing and Midwifery. • The curriculum must be research evidenced and competency based. • (Sivertsen,2009)

3. Overarching Principles • Minimum of 3 year, 4,600 hours programme (Directive 89/595/EEC) • to compose the new undergraduate curriculum. • The use of ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) credits to facilitate • European standardisation. • 3. Minimum of 2,300 hours of practice education within the new curriculum. • Inclusion of content indicated by EU directive (Directive 80/115/EEC). • Successful programme completion and general nursing or midwifery qualification awarded following evaluation/assessment of competence and professional standards by the ‘designated authority’.

4. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) 1. These are numerical values allocated to courses to describe student workload. 2. One credit requires between 25 and 45 hours of student work, normally 10 hours of classroom teaching and the associated study and learning activities. 3. 60 credits (1,500 -2,700 hours) is the workload of a normal undergraduate academic year. 4. Classroom teaching should not be more than 50% of the workload. 5. Credit for workload emphasises critical thinking and problem solving and includes lectures, practical, seminars, tutorials, fieldwork, private study and assessment. Zabalegui et al, 2006

5. The Role of the Curriculum 1. Familiarise students with relevant areas of the academic subject. 2. Enable students to utilise relevant theories and models to generate relevant argument and participate in appropriate subject debate. 3. Facilitate the development of competence that can be applied in the workplace. 4. Instil transferable skills knowledge and competences and a framework for lifelong learning. 5. Encourage familiarisation with research methods to enable data analysis and problem solving. ‘Students need to be familiar with practice, know different practices, be able to manage in practice and transfer their knowledge between Practices’ (Nygaard et al, 2008)

6. Competence Competence and competencies are described in different ways and models depicting levels and the nature of competency exist but do not simplify its understanding, assessment and its importance in nursing and midwifery (Fleming and Holmes, 2005). Competence can be simply explained as essential cognitive, psychomotor and affective skills enhanced by knowledge and experience underpinned by critical thinking and decision making. Competencies/proficiencies/skills/standards can be described as “ A broad composite statement, derived from nursing and midwifery practice, which describes a framework of skills reflecting knowledge, attitudes, psychosocial and psychomotor elements” (WHO, 2009). There are also many assessment tools to establish and measure competence available. Often a checklist or inventory assessment of perceived essential skills is rated using various methods from tick box to written evidence. NMC in the UK have produced a list of ‘Essential Skills Clusters for Pre-registration Nursing Programmes (NMC, 2007). It is clearly imperative to establish protocol in describing and for assessing competence/competencies in pre-registration nursing and midwifery curricula in Serbia.

7. Global Standards for Nurse/Midwife Education • World Health Assembly in 2001 passed a resolution to strengthen standards of nursing and midwifery worldwide. One of the actions was to develop global standards for initial nurse/midwife education as a priority. This has been done. (WHO, 2009). • The standards aim to ensure educational outcomes are: • based on evidence and competency • promote progressive education and life long learning • that standards of care promote positive health outcomes • Underpinning principles are: established competences on which to build a curriculum, interaction between students and clients as an educational focus and an inter-professional approach to education and practice.

8. “Professionalism is a complex interplay between theories, research methods and practice”

9. Cultural Model of Curriculum Denis Lawton (1984) Cultural Model of Curriculum Denis Lawton (1984) Technological System Technological System Aesthetic System Aesthetic System Rationality System Rationality System Cultural and Questionnaire Analysis Cultural Analysis Socio-political system Socio-political system Belief System Belief System Morality System Morality System Economic System Economic System Communication System Communication System

10. Competence to practice Problem solving abilities Development of critical Awareness Research informed practice Technological System Clinical Skills Technological Competencies Rationality System Epidemiology Heath promotion Controlling organisations, Serbian, European, WHO Aesthetic System Socio-political system Responding to individual needs (Patient/Student) Philosophy of Teaching/module Value of Education Life long learning Legitimacy of value pluralism Belief System Economic System Distribution of resources Quality of care provision Morality System Rights, responsibilities and accountability. Regulations regarding safety and protection Communication System Interpersonal skills Understanding of health care and regulative language

11. References EEC Council Directive 89/595/EEC of 10 October 1989 amending Directive 77/452/EEC concerning the mutual recognition of diplomas, certificates and other evidence of formal qualifications of nurses responsible for general care, including measures to facilitate the effective exercise of the right of establishment and freedom to provide services, and amending Directive 77/453/EEC concerning the co-ordination of provisions laid down by law, regulation or administrative action in respect of the activities of nurses responsible for general care. Official Journal L 341, 23/11/1989 p. 0030 - 0032 Fleming V. and Holmes A. 2005. Basic nursing and midwiferyeducation programmes in Europe. WHO, Regional office for Europe. Nursing and Midwifery Council 2007. Essential Skills Clusters for Pre-registration Nursing Programmes. NMC Circular 07/2007. Nygaard C., Hojlt T., and Hermsansen M. 2008. Learning-based curriculum development. Higher Education 55 33-50. Silvertsen B. 2009. Aligning nursing in Serbia towards new roles and changing skills. www.euro.who.int/nursingmidwifery

12. Wallace M. 2001. The European Standards for Nursing and Midwifery: Information for Accession Countries. WHO, Regional Office for Europe, European Health 21 target 21. (Keighley T, 2009. 2nd Edition) Zabalegui A., Macia L., Marquez J., Ricoma C., Mariscal I., Pedraz A., German C. and Moncho J. 2006. Changes in Nursing Education in the European Union. Journal of Nursing Scholarship 38:2 114-118. World Health Organisation 2009. Global standards for the initial education of professional nurses and midwives. Geneva, Switzerland, WHO Press.