One integrated curriculum: an empirical evaluation

In recognition of accountability to both the community and the student consumer for the process and the product of their educational program, faculty and students of Harris College of Nursing, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, undertook a three-year study of entering and graduating students. Students exposed to a new integrated curriculum, it was found, tended to possess a higher degree of leadership and empathic ability without sacrifice of knowledge but less critical thinking ability than students graduating from the older "block" curriculum. It is suggested that this might have resulted from too much consistency of approach in the integrated program. Intellective characteristics (IQ, scholastic aptitude test scores, critical thinking ability) plus leadership potential and empathic skill were significant in discriminating between successful and nonsuccessful students.