Using professional specialty competencies to guide course development

This article describes how an RN-to-BSN community health nursing (CHN) course was reconceptualized from a traditional model to a competency-based model. The traditional course assigned students to CHN preceptors and required a set number of clinical contact hours. As clinical preceptor placement opportunities diminished, students and faculty became increasingly dissatisfied with the course structure and requirements. Faculty endorsed the use of professional competencies to measure course learning outcomes and selected competencies identified by the Association of Community Health Nursing Educators. These competencies were clustered into units, with learning activities and grading criteria based on the critical knowledge, values, and clinical skills needed to demonstrate mastery of specific competencies. Course faculty, rather than agency preceptors, assessed student learning outcomes and mastery of competencies. The students demonstrated mastery of competencies and liked the degree of self-directed learning that built on their professional status as RNs.