Current nursing courses and nursing textbooks

This study has two parts. In the first part, current nursing courses in 18 baccalaureate nursing programs of Canada are examined to find out how traditional nursing courses have been changed. Major trends of nursing courses are identified, and two major types of current nursing courses are identified. In the second part, 16 nursing textbooks [child nursing (8); medical-surgical nursing (8)] are examined to see how they have changed to reflect the newer nursing curricula. Textbook and chapter content organizers commonly used in nursing textbooks are identified. Contents organizers currently used in nursing textbooks are argued to be ineffective for students' knowledge integration and knowledge development within the nursing profession. This position and its implications are discussed, and two approaches to developing textbooks are suggested.