Connecting the dots: what's all the buzz about integrative teaching?

EXCERPTThe American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (1998) provides the framework for accreditation of baccalaureate nursing programs and, as such, can significantly influence how nursing education evolves. The second draft of the new Essentials was recently released for public comment (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2007). There are a number of controversies surrounding this document: notably, the sheer number of competencies and the stunning list of content, as well as the emphasis on nondirect care essentials such as basic organizational and systems leadership for quality care, evidence-based practice, information management and patient care technology, health policy, finance and regulation, and interprofessional communication. The proposed Essentials, in general, is a huge advance over previous documents in addressing major issues in nursing education-the shifting demographics of the populations we serve, the rapidly changing practice environments, the need to better educate nurses in health promotion, chronic illness management, and end-of-life care-and the many issues raised in recent studies by the Institute of Medicine-quality and safety issues, the need to promote interprofessional collaboration, and the capacity of professionals to engage in systems thinking and evidence-based practice.