Concept-based curriculum: design and implementation strategies

Objectives: Novice nurses are struggling to exercise the critical thinking skill set needed to make competent clinical decisions in today's complex health care environment. This poses immense threats to the health and safety of patients. To address this alarming concern, many prominent organizations have called for a widespread overhaul of nursing curricula. Methods: A consistent theme among the recommendations for revising nursing curricula is the utilization of innovative curricula designs that focus on enhancing the critical thinking ability of nursing students, such as a concept-based curriculum. Results: Planning and implementing a curriculum revision is an overwhelming undertaking. Conclusions: Providing nurse educators with a guide on how to transition to a concept-based curriculum may help to facilitate a course revision.