Education for the Future

By Bobbie Berkowitz, PhD, RN, FAAN Dean, Columbia University School of Nursing

The forces for change come in many forms, from many directions. In healthcare, the exponential growth in information, increasing complexity of medical technology, and new emphasis on cost-effectiveness are reshaping the care environment.

Social, cultural, and political factors are also challenging providers of care, such as the disturbing persistence of barriers to care and widespread healthcare disparities faced by underserved populations. This environment presents challenges to the advanced practice nurse whose responsibility it is to deliver care as well as to the schools of nursing that prepare new clinicians.

At Columbia, our reputation for excellence is based in part on anticipating and responding to changes in the healthcare system and the opportunities they present to nursing professionals. For example, we were among the first to demonstrate that nurse practitioners could operate independently in a primary care setting without a reduction in the overall quality of care patients receive. Columbia Nursing also helped pioneer the development of a doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree that focuses on providing care to patients across healthcare settings throughout the patient’s lifecycle. Our emphasis on educating nurses with an ability to operate independently, equipped with the knowledge to provide the finest comprehensive care, was echoed in the Institute of Medicine’s 2010 landmark report “The Future of Nursing.”

Today, our legacy of assessing and shaping trends in clinical care through the twin lenses of patient benefit and advancement of the nursing profession continues. As nurse educators, the world we see is challenging, yet it also presents new opportunities for nurses to play ever more vital roles in the planning and delivery of care.

To ensure that we continue to provide the high quality education nurses need in today’s rapidly changing healthcare environment, we at Columbia Nursing are planning major changes in our curriculum as part of our strategic planning process which was established when I arrived at Columbia Nursing in 2010. As a result, our master of science (MS) degree anticipated to serve as the entry to professional nursing practice beginning in 2015 and all advanced practice programs will transition to the DNP educational level beginning in 2016. Four years of full time study will be required to achieve the MS and DNP degree. The MS degree will be conferred after four semesters at which time the graduate will be eligible to sit for the nurse licensing examination, to be followed by eight semesters of graduate education which will terminate with DNP degree and eligibility for APRN certification and licensure.

Developing this framework for the DNP has meant making some changes to our curriculum. Among the enhancements we’re focusing on are enriching competencies in comprehensive primary care, interdisciplinary and patient-centered communication, a deep understanding health care systems and the context in which care is provided, and using evidence for best clinical practice and scholarship.

These changes to our academic program are the next step in a long tradition of educating nurses to their full potential within an always-evolving healthcare system. Healthcare reform presents new horizons and the anticipated changes we’re making mean that Columbia nurses will continue to be fully equipped to apply in-depth, broad-based knowledge as healers, caregivers, and advocates of health and wellness. We’re proud to be at the forefront of this transformation of the nursing profession, always with a focus toward improving patient care.