| ObjectivesInvestigate development status and the internationality level of course system of higher vocational nursing education in China and America, and compare the similarities and differences of course system of higher vocational education in nursing between the two countries. On the basis of this, put forward thinking and recommendations for establishing Chinese courses system of higher vocational education in nursing which docks with international nursing courses.Methods1. The materials about course system of higher vocational nursing education in China and America were collected, through literature research, network query method and help of collaborating colleges. The development status and trends of courses of higher vocational nursing education in these two countries were described.2. Related course materials of the included colleges were obtained according to regions distribution, with the help of collaborating colleges and network query method. The course materials were analyzed using content analysis, and then the similarities and differences between Chinese and American courses of higher vocational education in nursing were compared using comparative method according to the comparative framework. The differences and value orientation of courses were described.3. On the basis of comparing results, superiorities and shortages of domestic courses of higher vocational education in nursing were considered. Refine American colleges’ experiences of course developing and course resources which deserve to be used for reference for China. On the basis of this, with national conditions taken into consideration, the recommendations for building international curriculum system of high vocational nursing education in China were put forward.Results1. The development status and characteristics of course system of higher vocational nursing education in China and America were described.2. Similarities and differences in each comparative element of course system of higher vocational nursing education in China and America were compared and analyzed.The similarities include: ①Course ideas and basis:Courses of two countries keep close to practical job needs and emphasize job competences, the requirements for holistic nursing care as well as humanity. ②Course model:In America colleges, clinical practice runs through theory courses. China colleges have been gradually integrating clinical practice into theory teaching, and some have also tried out the lifespan course mode. ③Structure of course system:The courses reflect modern nursing philosophy. The course system includes required courses and elective courses, and basically contains the same knowledge system. Colleges in both countries attach importance to clinical practice. ④Contents system of core courses:Core courses emphasize development of students’ idea of holistic nursing care, their practical occupational skills such as abilities of using nursing process, solving problems and so on. Contents of core courses cover prevention, evaluation, nursing of clinical-related and community-related disease, individual-related and group-related disease. Other course contents include nursing ethics and laws, nursing theories, critical thinking, evidence-based nursing and so on.⑤Teaching forms, strategies and ideas: In teaching strategy, colleges in both countries stress students’ active learning with student-centered, the interaction between teachers and students. In organizational forms of teaching, colleges all adopt class, laboratory and clinical teaching. Actually, they all adopt diversified teaching methods such as lectures, case analysis and assignments. ⑥Teaching evaluation and assessment:Colleges in both countries combine process evaluation with terminal evaluation, adopting some common evaluation methods such as class discussion, phase examinations and assignments.The differences include: ①Course ideas and basis:Course ideas and basis in American colleges show diversified, which are combined with specific requirements for knowledge and abilities. The courses also stress specific program outcomes, integrality and systematicness of structure of course system. The courses of China colleges are short of guidance of course philosophy, and not reflect the education outcomes as well as the specific requirements for graduates. ②Course model:In America colleges, clinical practice keeps parallel with theory courses, and courses are designed according to "lifespan" or "health" course model. Courses in some colleges are "progressive". Colleges in China mostly adopt "2+1" course operation model and discipline course set. Courses are arranged according to three-stage form. ③Structure of course system:The courses are classified precisely in China colleges, but covering relatively narrower areas. The foundation courses account for higher proportions than that of America Colleges, and the subjects of foundation courses are more various, while nursing courses as well as humanities and social science courses account for significantly lower proportions than that of America colleges. The nursing specialized courses in all China colleges keep relatively consistent, mostly being set in accordance with clinical specialties and most of them are traditional courses. In American colleges, courses are classified simply covering broader horizons. More emphasis is put on profession teaching as well as the humanities education. The professional courses in all colleges are diversified, but nearly are all integrated courses. Besides, there are more nursing development courses in course system of American colleges.④Contents system of core courses:The core courses of China colleges focus on hospital nursing and community nursing, with contents being mainly related to disease-centered knowledge focusing on patients’common health needs, laying particular emphasis on patients’physiological and psychological nursing. The contents centre on the training requirements for students to provide nursing practice proficiently, and highlight the roles of nursing in patients’health recovery. The core courses in American colleges introduce nursing practice in various health care settings, among which family nursing is an important part. Course contents surround the training requirements for safe, effective and high quality nursing, emphasizing the development of so many kinds of abilities such as multi-cultural nursing, leadership, evidence-based practice and high-level cognitive skills, as well as nurses’modern profession roles and functions. The contents center on health, emphasizing the whole population’s health, holistic health, a full range of nursing, personal health needs, optimal health, diversified cooperation between nursing and other roles, continuous nursing care. Moreover, patient safety goals, improvement of nursing quality, nursing practice standards are also emphasized in core courses, throughout development of critical thinking skill and application of evidence-based nursing, nursing researches, nursing theories being throughout in courses, with other contents are also being contained such as nursing leadership, career guidance, new nursing knowledge. These contents are introduced rarely in core courses of China colleges. ⑤Teaching forms, strategies and ideas:America colleges pay more attention to actual implementation of student-centered teaching, stressing students’active learning, students’needs and preparation before class, calling for individual teaching. ⑥Teaching evaluation and assessment:In American colleges, teaching evaluation highlights the process evaluation, individualized evaluation and diversified evaluating bodies. Diversified evaluation methods are used more universally such as group learning work. Besides, America colleges also attach more importance to the evaluations of overall and long-term teaching quality, and the evaluations are more comprehensive. In actual implementation, teaching evaluation in China colleges gives priority to the summative evaluation and teacher evaluation, with smaller proportion of process evaluation.3. With comprehensive considerations of comparing and analyzing results, recommendations for establishing internationalized course system of higher vocational nursing education in China: ①A pply advanced course philosophy to guide course set to improve the level of course modernization. ②Reform the course model to make it dock with international nursing courses. ③Optimize the structure of course system to improve the level of course internationalization. ④Adjust the goals of core courses and enrich the content system. ⑤Optimize course implementation, and implement the development goal of students’ comprehensive quality. ⑥Establish a course evaluation system which is based on education outcomes and performance facts.ConclusionIn this study, we compared similarities and differences between Chinese and American course system of higher vocational education in nursing. On the basis of this, we put forward recommendations for building internationalized curriculum system of high vocational education in nursing for China which was docked with international courses and consistent with national conditions. These recommendations will provide important guidance for course reform for domestic higher vocational colleges in nursing, and provide scientific reason reference for accelerating nursing education in China keeping in line with international nursing education. |
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