Defining and Assessing Abilities-based Outcomes for Nursing Education: Lessons from the Faculty of Nursing at the University of New Brunswick (Fredericton)

Abstract

This session presented the process and results from a history of defining and assessing core abilities for graduates of nursing degree program(s) at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton. The process has included integrating the Maritimes Provinces Higher Education Commission Degree Level Qualifications Framework (2006) and the competencies for entry-level nurses, as defined by the Nurses Association of New Brunswick (NANB, 2013). Our approach was to use these categorizations of abilities for nursing practice, integrating knowledge, values, skills, attributes and predispositions into broadly defined core domains of ability. In our professional degree program, these domains of practice ability are nested within philosophical commitments to: dialogic relations with students; preparation for nursing practice as a democratic professional; human caring, social justice; and primary health care. These philosophical influences were discussed, noting their relevance in other disciplines.  Our session presented specific information about the process of defining the domains of ability that structure the curriculum in our degree programs and the process of defining formative and summative assessment strategies for our learning outcomes. Lessons learned were shared by panel members from serendipitous experiences.