The San Diego State School of Nursing has decreased the amount of required units for graduation from 136 to 120 units. The change to the program will be implemented for Fall 2014.
The California State University Chancellors Office gave an order for some CSU degrees to be reduced to 120 units in order to increase the rate of university students graduating within four years.
SDSU School of Nursing Director Philip A. Greiner said the department worked to make the program more contemporary, which will benefit the students.
“I think it will be a real positive influence on the nursing program because it will get people out in four years, just like most of the other nursing programs will do,” Greiner said.
The nursing department outlined the CSU requirements and then matched the SDSU requirements to fit the new expectations.
With the help of the chemistry and biochemistry departments, along with the biology department, the faculty of the School of Nursing decreased the amount of units needed to complete the program. The departments worked together to drop some courses, add one-unit courses into existing courses and combine existing classes, Greiner said.
One of the courses no longer included in the program is a leadership management course. Another course, the professional information class, was kept but divided into three one-unit courses. This course is vital because it helps to directly prepare the students to work in the nursing field, Greiner said.
The next step was to receive accreditation from the American Association College of Nursing and meet the requirements of the California Board of Registered Nursing.
He added that the process of changing the classes and condensing courses took about a year and a half to complete.
Associate Director of the School of Nursing Marjorie Peck said the program effectively educates students.
“The program builds on what you’re learning and doesn’t repeatedly teach the same thing,” Peck said. “The classes facilitate thinking and critical thinking through one’s career.”
Nursing students expressed mixed feelings about the unit decrease.
“I believe that this change will benefit students because they will be able to graduate sooner, but because some classes are being combined, some who graduate in two years might not be as prepared as people who graduate in two and a half,” pre-nursing junior Niko Ledesma said.
Although the nursing program is experiencing a major change, students are still learning and becoming more prepared every day, Greiner said.
Photo by Monica Linzmeier, photo editor
