The Implementation of competency-based nursing curricula Among ASEAN countries: A Situational analysis

Abstract

The competency-based nursing curriculum is widely considered as an effective way to equip new graduate nurses with the expected knowledge, skills, and ability to function and meet people’s healthcare needs in the globalization era. This qualitative descriptive research aims to explore the implementation of that curriculum in inculcating nurses in ASEAN countries with the required competencies, as well as its facilitators and barriers, through McGrath’s Input-Process-Output model. Participants were 26 nurse educators and administrators from ten countries in Southeast Asia where the competency-based curricula were implemented. The data collection was done from October 2019 to June 2020 through face-to-face and internet-based in-depth interviews and group discussions, and the data was analyzed based on content analysis as established by Krippendorff (2004). The findings showed that the implementation of competency-based nursing curricula varied in ASEAN countries according to the Input, Process, and Output model. Each country was in a different implementation stage, from initiation halfway to fully functioning. The implementation starts with the Input, including curriculum redesign and facilities investment, then goes through the Process, consisting of teaching and learning improvement and human resources strengthening. Lastly, the Output includes students' performance gain and employers' satisfaction. The facilitators and barriers to implementation were identified as individual and organizational factors. Commitment, strong cooperation, the effectiveness of competency-based nursing curriculum, necessary renovation, and policies were the facilitators. At the same time, limited preparedness in clinical transiting, resistance from implementers, limited resources, and limited understanding of nursing competency stood as barriers. These findings contribute to the understanding and application of competency-based nursing curricula across ASEAN countries, thus facilitating nursing education reform.