Conference Proceedings - School of Nursing & Midwifery - Trinity ...

School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin: 8 th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference
Transforming Healthcare Through Research, Education & Technology: 7 th – 9 th November 2007
Conference Proceedings
The Department of Nursing and Health Studies used a ‘blank page’
approach to maximise creativity in the design and structure of the
programme. In order to develop a programme that was both
innovative and responsive to the needs of future employers of
nursing graduates, the programme had to be designed in true
partnership with stakeholders. This development in contrast with
traditional approaches, involved stakeholders in every aspect of the
development of the programme, from the start.
The key components for the development of the curriculum included
the appointment of a project facilitator, a project plan, an extensive
literature search, the establishment of an Operational Team and a
Curriculum Development Team. The latter was the decision making
body and consisted of representatives from all identified
stakeholders. The Curriculum Development Team worked closely
with their different constituencies to ensure that the programme
represented the broader views of all stakeholders. The department
used ‘snowball’ sampling methods to identify and involve
organisations/persons that could become future stakeholders. The
main tasks of the Curriculum Development Team included:
� the development of the graduate profile,
� identification of the major themes and values underpinning
the programme,
� developing the conceptual framework,
� establishing the degree structure and
� determining the assessment philosophy.
The Department followed specific lines of consultation, and set up
definitive partnerships outside the institution working jointly
towards developing a new curriculum. The Department held a
series of workshops called ‘The Nurse of the Future’ before
commencing the curriculum development process.
Analysis
The department used the data from the workshops to guide the
development process and the different groups within the Curriculum
Development Team met regularly to consider information gathered
from the various consultation cycles. The cycles consisted of
consultation, change, and feedback to stakeholders and continued
until the Curriculum Development Team was satisfied with the
outcome.
The findings of the ‘Nurse of the Future’ workshops were constantly
revisited to identify all the relevant programme themes, and a
graduate profile and degree structure were developed (Department
of Nursing and Health Studies 2005, p.9). This process is in
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