From daunting task to new beginnings: bachelor of science in nursing curriculum revision using the new essentials

Undergraduate curriculum revision is a daunting task, particularly when new accreditation criteria clearly call for substantive changes in how baccalaureate generalist nurses are educated. Using the nine essentials of The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2008) and the 109 Essential outcomes, the University of Kansas School of Nursing undergraduate faculty employed three phases of change: (a) understanding, (b) analysis, and (c) design to create an innovative curriculum. Theoretical influences from E. M. Rogers' (2003) Diffusion of Innovations theory, W. Bridges' (2009) work with transitions, and concepts of ownership guided the revision process. Strategies, such as gap analysis, nominal group technique, and word clouds, facilitated faculty transition from the ending of the old curriculum to ownership and beginning of the new curriculum. Inductive methods of faculty perceptions of ideal graduate characteristics and clustering of themes in the 109 Essential outcomes produced five themes: (a) communication/professional development, (b) evidence-based practice, (c) leadership/management, (d) nursing across the lifespan, and (e) population-based health care. A Q-Sort of the Essentials placed all 109 essential outcomes under each of these categories. Essential outcomes within these categories were then interpreted as data points and used as the basis for course design and accompanying credit allocation. A variety of research, theory, and interpersonally sensitive approaches yielded an innovative curriculum reflecting the Essentials and "new beginnings" for the undergraduate faculty.