EAST LIVERPOOL – Nursing students who are taking Biological Structure and Function are speaking out about needed changes in the curriculum.
Anyone entering this class should have some basic knowledge in medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, biology and a touch of chemistry. According to Dr. Roxanne Burns (left), a professor who teaches S&F, students without a background in these fields will not have an easy start.A common concern among students is the vast amount of information to be learned in one semester. Student
Cindy Sullivan (right) said, “I want to comprehend the information given to us and retain it, not just memorize it for the test and then forget it.”Katie Bolan (below) also spoke up, saying “The advantages of having the class divided into two semesters would give the students the ability to comprehend and maintain the material covered.”
Many students know Structure and Function is the building-block foundation for those entering the medical fields. Burns agrees. “I feel it would be certainly easier for students to have a class divided into two semesters,” she said. “It’s really a massive overwhelming sort of course.”It has recently been decided that students attending the physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) courses need to focus on specific information offered in this class; therefore, it has been divided into two semesters starting in the summer.
While this is great news for PT and OT students, nursing students feel they should get the same opportunity since it is more critical for them to learn all the material covered and pass in order to move on to the next step in the nursing program.
Heather Beaver (left) pointed out that the standards for entry into the nursing program are more stringent than the OT and PT programs and students who earn low grades “might not even get into the program because of that (demanding workload).”KSU-EL Assistant Dean Richard Wiscott concurs. “The thing I like about students driving the process is that they’re not trying to get something made easier,” he said, “they’re trying to put a new policy in place that will help them be successful.”
The process of splitting the class is underway, and the decision makers are reviewing the measures to ensure fairness and to make sure the students don’t have to take unnecessary credits. While these steps to alter curriculum may take time and may not benefit current students taking this class, it would appear that student voices are being heard.
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