Nursing education curriculum in mainland China and the United States: A comparative perspective

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2002

Publication Title

Journal of Nursing Education

Volume

41

Issue

7

First page number:

310

Last page number:

316

Abstract

This paper examines the standard three-year secondary nursing education curriculum in China and compares it with a 21-month generic associate degree nursing curriculum in the United States in terms of course offerings, time allocation, and clinical experience. Content analysis and interview are the primary methods of inquiry. Content analysis of the two nursing education curricula is conducted with descriptive statistical analyses. Interviews (N = 6) with nursing faculty and administrators from four secondary nursing programs in Henan Province, China were conducted in 1998. Differences between the two curricula are found with regard to the types of courses offered and time allocation to various course categories. Although little discrepancy is uncovered from the comparison of nursing courses at first look, a closer examination reveals otherwise. The most striking difference of the two curricula lies in the arrangement and staffing pattern of clinical instruction. The study also finds that the medical profession has profound influence on nursing education curriculum in China, and the uniqueness of the Chinese curriculum is the integration of traditional Chinese medicine into the nursing curriculum.

Keywords

Bachelor of arts degree; China; Comparative education; Cross-cultural studies; Medicine; Chinese –Study and teaching (Higher); Nurses – Education; Nursing – Study and teaching (Higher); United States; Universities and colleges—Curricula

Disciplines

Curriculum and Instruction | Education | Nursing | Other Nursing

Language

English

Permissions

Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or use interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the article. Publisher copyright policy allows author to archive post-print (author’s final manuscript). When post-print is available or publisher policy changes, the article will be deposited


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