INTRODUCTION:

The Curriculum Guidelines of Graduation Nursing Course should feature that students of the nursing course must develop general competences: health attention, decision, communication, leadership, permanent education and management, when they finish graduation. Although educational institutions are seeking to implement, through their syllabus, a new approach matching the proposed Curriculum Guidelines, this topic is addressed during the classes as something complicated, and sometimes may be considered as an arduous process. This review study is aimed at discussing the teaching of professional skills for students of undergraduate nursing courses. Its objective identifies scientific publications addressing the teaching of competence management for undergraduate students of nursing.¹

BACKGROUND:

Competency Based Education is not a novel educational model. It emerged towards the end of the 1960s, influenced by the educational objective taxonomy research of Benjamin S. Bloom, PhD, and the work by Robert F. Mager, PhD, on instructional objectives. Both sought to tie the skills students learn to application in real-life settings (Malan, 2000).²

Elsevier Education elsevieradvantage.com perspectives Elsevier Education’s Perspective on: Competency-Based Education Accountability is also a driver for CBE programs, especially in nursing.³

Organizations like Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) collaborative and Nurse of the Future Core Nursing Competencies (NOF) set forth to define competency standards for nurses. Having competencies defined by those organizations helped the Center to Champion Nursing in America (CCNA) outline four models for CBE.⁴

Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island are listed by CCNA as successful BSN program examples at the state level.⁵

In 2013, President Obama released a plan to make college more affordable. In his plan, the President seeks to, “award credits based on learning, not seat time. Western Governors University is a competency based online university serving more than 40,000 students with relatively low costs — about $6,000 per year for most degrees — with an average time to a bachelor’s degree of only 30 months.⁶

Definitions:

· Competence: - It is defined as having the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform the job⁷.

· Competency:- It is defined as the ability to perform required skills in accordance with established standards⁷.

· Competence in Nursing defines as: ‘Possessing the skills and abilities required for lawful, safe and effective professional practice without direct supervision¹.

· Three different approaches to competence:

· Behaviourist.

· Attribution or generic.

· Integrated or holistic⁷.

· Competency-based learning refers to systems of instruction, assessment, grading, and academic reporting that are based on students demonstrating that they have learned the knowledge and skills they are expected to learn as they progress through their education⁸.

Need of Competency Based Nursing:

1. Nursing educational institutions need evidence that anyone who completes a degree or course has achieved a required distinct level of competency in Nursing.

2. Accrediting, regulatory, and professional bodies of Nursing want assurance that completion of an educational degree in Nursing endeavour indicates competency in nursing.

3. Regulatory, legal, external standards, and quality measures in Nursing required demonstration of competence.

4. There is greater accountability in nursing for the costs and time it takes to complete educational endeavours and determine if they achieve the expected outcomes.

5. Employers hire new workers who do not have basic competencies required for entry-level positions.

6. Employers invest in extensive nursing training programs to address the initial needs of new employees and the continuing training needs of all employees, especially those in complex, changing work environments.

7. Workers need to continue their own personal and professional development to advance their careers and make positive contributions to organizations.

Figure :1 Areas of Education in CBE

Competency needed in Nursing

1. Acquisition of essential cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skills.

2. Continued development of skills.

3. Broadly based competency development derived from the best professional evidence, current standards, and regulations;

4. Authentic assessments which are valid and reliable.

5. The use of adult learning principles;

6. Individual learning styles and abilities are recognized and appreciated,⁹

Competencies in Nursing (General)

They generally include:

1. Basic skills: - Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Speaking, and Listening).

2. Thinking skills:- Thinking creatively, Decision making, Problem solving).

3. Personal qualities:- individual responsibility, Self-esteem, Social skills, Managing self, and Integrity.

4. Four base competencies: - Managing self, Communicating, Organizing innovation, and Managing change.¹⁰

Professional:

1. Determination of knowledge, skills, and abilities required for graduates of nursing education programs, based on standards and legal requirements.

2. Relevance to current practice.

3. Registration and licensing examinations by boards of nursing.

4. Board of nursing continuing education requirements for licensing.

5. Employer monitoring of required staff development modules, completion of courses, demonstrations, and examinations.

6. Certification requirements by professional nursing organizations.

7. Standards and accreditation for nursing practice guidelines.¹⁰

Domain of Nursing Practice :

Figure :2 Domain of Nursing Practice

Challenges:

· Changes way of thinking

· Need clear and specific language related to evaluation criteria

· Pilot testing and working out the “glitches” essential ⁹.

CONCLUSION:

With growing interest and emphasis on competency based education in nursing. We committed to empowering educators looking to approach learning in this way. Our existing knowledge aligns with those objectives, and we continue to explore innovative solutions, skills and competencies to meet the needs of students through a competency-based education in Nursing.

REFERENCES:

1. Hidden curriculum In S. Abbott (Ed.), The glossary of education reform: 2014, August 26. Retrieved from http://edglossary.org/ hidden-curriculum

2. Malan, S. “The ‘New Paradigm’ of Outcomes-Based Education in Perspective.” Journal of Family Ecology and Consumer Sciences. 2000: 22-28. Print.

3. Elsevier Education’s Perspective on: Competency-Based Education: 2014; Available from elsevieradvantage.com/ perspectives.

4. Book, P.A. All Hands on Deck: Ten Lessons from Early Adopters of Competency-Based Education.” Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies (WCET), 2014. PDF File. 17 Oct. 2014. http://wcet. wiche.edu/wcet/docs/summit/All Hands on Deck Final. pdf

5. Sroczynski, M. “The Competency or Outcomes Based Model for Education Transformation.” Campaign for Action, 15 Oct. 2013. Available From Web. 17 Oct. 2014. http://campaignforaction. org/resource/competency-oroutcomes-based-model-education-transformation

6. The White House Office of the Press Secretary. FACT SHEET on the President’s Plan to Make College More Affordable: A Better Bargain for the Middle Class. Washington D.C. USA: The White House . 22 Aug. 2013.

7. Eraut, M. (1998). Concepts of competence. Journal of Inter professional Care, 12(2); 127–139.

8. Tilley, D. D. Competency in nursing: A concept analysis. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing: 2008;39(2);58–64.

9. Marion G. Anema, Jan McCoy. Competency-Based Nursing Education. New York: Springer Publishing Company, LLC. 2010.

10. Differentiated Entry Level Competencies of Graduates of Texas Nursing Programs. Texas Board of Nurse Examiners. Retrieved September 15, 2008. Available from www.bne.state.tx

Received on 17.07.2017 Modified on 19.08.2017

Asian J. Nur. Edu. and Research.2017; 7(4): 598-600.

DOI: 10.5958/2349-2996.2017.00117.3