New curriculum for a new century: beyond repackaging.

A plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the changes is in progress. Focus groups with health care agencies in the community validate the life skills as essential to nursing practice. Evaluation of students and graduates is ongoing to determine the overall effectiveness of this curriculum. Preparing nurses for a new century requires developing a new curriculum. But it requires much more than changing what is taught. The students who are recruited, the teaching methods used, and the academic policies must be rethought. These all are reflected in this model that allows students to learn and practice skills needed for a lifetime in nursing.