Nursing educational programs have been evolving in steps to meet the emerging needs of the healthcare system. The curriculum transformation of the 1960s entailed an increased emphasis on advanced skills development and the emergence of patient-centered care (Bradshaw, Hultquist & Hagler, 2019; Weberg & Davidson, 2019). The drivers were a persistent shortage of physicians, the introduction of public health insurance, and an increased emphasis on primary care (McIntyre & McDonald, 2019). Heightened professional expectations necessitated graduate education, which resulted in the first graduate programs in the 1960s (McIntyre & McDonald, 2019). Canadian graduate education in nursing now incorporates various requirements for nursing, administrative, and research skills.
Nonetheless, there was still a lack of professional medical support, especially in remote Canadian provinces. Therefore, another revolution in graduate education has been the development of nurse practitioner (NP) programs (Bradshaw et al., 2019). As this role requires more advanced training, such programs are taught as master’s or post-baccalaureate certificate programs (McIntyre & McDonald, 2019). The acute need for professionals resulted in modern graduate programs that prepare professionals with advanced skills.
Lastly, technological progress further affected training methodology in nursing graduate curricula. For instance, integrating remote training software into the classroom setting increased the flexibility of delivery (McIntyre & McDonald, 2019). In addition to improving education, virtual training avoids negative consequences for inexperienced practitioners working with real patients (Weberg & Davidson, 2019). This instruction style has become prominent in Canada, especially earlier on the academic path.
References
Bradshaw, M. J., Hultquist, B. L. and Hagler, D. (2019). Innovative teaching strategies in nursing and related health professions. Jones & Barlett Learning.
McIntyre, M., and McDonald, C. (2019). Graduate education. In realities of Canadian Nursing: Professional, practice, and power issues (5th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Weberg, D. and Davidson, S. (2019). Leadership for evidence-based innovation in nursing and health professions. Jones & Barlett Learning.