Date of Paper/Work

12-2013

Type of Paper/Work

Doctor of Nursing Practice Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Emily Nowak

Department/School

Doctor of Nursing Practice

Abstract

Baccalaureate nursing (BSN) programs work toward ensuring that curricula are current and relevant for the existing and evolving health care environment, health and illness trends, and care delivery systems. To this end this Systems Change Project (SCP) addresses an identified curricular gap between the traditional clinical experience of BSN students related to care of individuals with chronic illness and the predominant environment in which chronic illness care occurs. A non-acute care clinical experience was integrated into the junior year adult and chronicity clinical course of the Bethel University nursing program. The clinical experience was delivered through virtual simulation and focused on the registered nurse (RN) role in chronic illness self-management support with an emphasis on diabetes. Confirmation of the need for this and motivation to implement this SCP was provided through The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health (IOM, 2011) coupled with the lack of documentation in the literature regarding of this type of learning experience in BSN programs. The SCP was supported through a dual theoretical framework of adult learning theory and adaption theory while being further bolstered by standards of care in self-management support and simulation development. Project evaluation data reveal the effectiveness of the simulation and provide recommendations for future practice and scholarship.

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