Integrated course assessments in an undergraduate nursing program.

Curriculum integration is a partnership amongst multidisciplinary members to create a cohesive curriculum and improve education. Basic and clinical science integration helps students learn deeply. Integrated curricula facilitate students to become lifelong learners. It encourages critical thinking and clinical reflection and helps students become active, self-directed learners. A comprehensive integrated exam was conducted at Aga Khan University, School of Nursing and midwifery to establish meaningful learning and enhance theoretical knowledge application in clinical practice, using competencies from four different courses in second year of study. Comprehensive Integrated Exam prepared students to assess a client and design complete nursing care based on health assessment, adult health nursing, pharmacology, and pathophysiology course concepts. This integrated exam was very effective as 97 % of students who took the exam passed on their first attempt. Faculty members involved found the comprehensive integrated exam a successful strategy to evaluate students learning, whereas the students related that this exam helped them to bridge the gap between applying theoretical concepts from different courses to clinical practice.

Incorporating Patient Safety and Quality Course Into the Nursing Curriculum: An Assessment of Student Gains.

BACKGROUND: Training nursing students on quality and patient safety (PS) is crucial to ensuring safe healthcare practices given the key role nurses play on the healthcare team. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of quality and PS course on the knowledge, and system thinking of students at different stages of the undergraduate nursing course. METHODS: A 4.5-day quality improvement and PS course was conducted at the Aga Khan University School of Nursing and Midwifery for 146 second- and 139 fourth-year students. Students' knowledge, self-assessment of knowledge and skills, and system thinking were assessed using pretest and posttest. RESULTS: Of the total of 20 points, the course significantly improved students' knowledge by a mean of 4.91 points for second-year students (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.32-5.51) and 3.46 points for fourth-year students (95% CI, 2.90-4.02) between pretest and posttest. For systems thinking, the Systems Thinking Scale scores increased by 0.41 points (95% CI, 0.29-0.52) for second-year students and 0.33 points (95% CI, 0.22-0.44) for fourth-year students out of the total of 5 points. The self-assessment scores significantly increased on postcourse assessment for second (P < 0.05) and fourth-year students (P < 0.001). Positive experience reported by students in the narrative reflections complemented these results. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant increase in nursing students' knowledge, self-efficacy, and system thinking after participating in this short PS course. Replication at a national level may improve safety knowledge and skills among nursing students with subsequent gains in the safety of healthcare delivery in Pakistan.