A Person-Oriented Approach to the Planning of a Bachelors Degree in Nursing

Abstract

An alternative approach for the development of curricula has been formulated and used as an adjunct to the curriculum planning process. This project evolved from a perceived dichotomy existing between the actual educational needs of post-registration nursing students and that of the focus of curricula, planned for them. In the course of this inquiry, the particular attributes of post-registration nursing students were delineated, the postulations supporting a person-oriented theory were established and the major concepts of a person-oriented point of view were used to evaluate the philosophical nature of the elements of selected curricula. The major part of this inquiry consisted of an investigation into the philosophical nature of post-registration nursing curricula, in an endeavour to establish the existence or nonexistence of a person-oriented approach to curriculum construction. The findings of this inquiry suggest that planners of post-registration programmes in nursing do use this approach in curriculum development. However, it was found that in some instances there were marked inconsistencies. Planners sometimes expressed the person-oriented ideas in their philosophical statements, subsequently failed to follow these concepts consistently and fully. This project justified the use of a matrix tool for the cross-linking of person-oriented theoretical concepts, with traditional curriculum elements. The findings of this analytical study support a person-oriented approach to the development of post-registration nursing programmes, such as a Bachelors Degree in Nursing.