BLINN NURSING CURRICULUM REDESIGN A MODEL FOR NATIONWIDE PROGRAMS

  

Associate degree nursing programs around the nation are learning from Blinn College.

Sami Rahman, director of simulations, and Rebecca Presswood, Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Program site coordinator, have developed curriculum for a single comprehensive course covering obstetrics and pediatrics. By covering both topics in a single course, students better understand the connections between the two fields of study and are better prepared to apply their skills once they enter the profession, Rahman said.

Rahman and Presswood were invited to lead a 75-minute breakout session at a recent Organization of Associate Degree Nursing (OADN) conference in Jacksonville, Fla., in which they explained how Blinn successfully redesigned its obstetrics course to include maternal, newborn and child health.

Students enrolled in the course – Nursing Care of the Child-Bearing and Child-Rearing Family – interact with high-fidelity mannequins or patient actors for the simulation portion of the course, which includes care scenarios for labor and delivery, postpartum, sick infants, children in need of surgery, newborns and adolescents. Students debrief with faculty after each simulation to discuss patient care and operations, and communication with the patient, their family and fellow healthcare professionals.

Feedback following the simulations prove the restructure is offering students hands-on learning opportunities that prepare them for real-world scenarios.

“It’s a continuum from birth to adolescence,” Presswood said. “In one semester, we cover everything from women’s health to adolescent growth and development. It’s a lot of material, but it helps the students put together the pieces of what we’ve talked about during their clinical experiences. We think this course is going to prepare them to become even better nurses.”

Students who complete Blinn’s ADN Program and pass the National Council Licensure Examination have a job placement rate between 97 and 100 percent and are qualified for a wide array of nursing positions, including pediatric, geriatric, hospice, school and clinical nursing. New graduates can expect to earn over $52,000 per year. Blinn’s pass rates are routinely above state and national averages.

Prospective students can participate in information sessions taking place the first week every month. Each information session will be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Texas A&M Health Science Center campus located at 8441 State Highway 47 in Bryan. To register, visit: www.blinn.edu/twe/adn/info_session.php.

In addition to associate degree nursing, Blinn’s Division of Health Sciences offers dental hygiene, emergency medical services, physical therapist assistant, radiologic technology, fire science, veterinary technology and vocational nursing programs.

 

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