Curriculum 1 (7) GENERAL INFORMATION DEGREE PROGRAMME Master's Degree Programme in Advanced Nursing Practice PERIOD OF EXECUTION The volume of the Master's Degree Programme in Advanced Nursing Practice is 90 ECTS credits; the recommended period of study is three years (autumn 2014 to spring 2017). The study period is the recommended period of study, plus two academic terms. SCOPE DESCRIPTION LANGUAGE OF STUDY CODE DEGREE 90 ECTS credits The Master's Degree Programme in Advanced Nursing Practice provides students with expert levels of readiness to work in demanding nursing and development tasks. The degree programme competence provides evidence-based development of wellness services and nursing practices, entrepreneurship, and the investigative development of working life, such as nursing triage activities development, team management, and carrying out a variety of change and development processes in health care. The degree programme provides the readiness to operate as a clinical nursing expert in multicultural and international environments. Finnish YSA14S Master of Health Care DEGREE LEVEL National Qualifications Framework level 7. TARGET GROUP AND ADMISSION CRITERIA STUDIES Those persons who are selected for training are required to have a suitable university of applied sciences diploma or other appropriate higher education diplomas: nurse (Master's degree), midwife (Master's degree), public health nurse (Master's degree) or Bachelor of Health Care or other appropriate university degree, examples being: Master of Public Health Nursing, Master of Health Sciences, or Bachelor of Health Sciences. Degree and work experience is then considered case by case. At least three years (36 months) of work experience in the relevant field which has been acquired after the degree is also required. A relevant field is considered as being a field to which the person is applying and the field in which the initial degree was issued. JAMK University of Applied Sciences also accepts as work experience any work experience that has been acquired after the earlier post-secondary or vocational higher education. Selection is made on the basis of the points accumulated from the entrance examination, the grade of the thesis, and the work experience. The admission criteria are national. KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES Persons who have graduated from the degree programme are able to be responsible for the nursing of different customer and patient groups, both independently and in multidisciplinary cooperation, or act as an entrepreneur in the field. They are capable of complex and demanding decision-making in clinical nursing, as well as being able to develop and reform nursing and nursing services based on perceived evidence. They know how to respond to rapid changes and are able to create new business models, as well as being able to manage change processes. Graduates demonstrate networking skills and are able to take advantage of international networks for the development of innovative work processes. They master demanding professional communications in their field. They are able to continuously develop their expertise and take advantage of the expertise of others in development work. They promote the development of workplace skills according to the principles of continuous learning.
Curriculum 2 (7) PROFILE COURSE STRUCTURE The Master's Degree Programme in Advanced Nursing Practice is intended for health care professionals who seek career development and want to strengthen their competence in a variety of demanding nursing expertise and development tasks. The degree programme will provide the knowledge for the evidence-based development of wellness services and nursing practice and for investigative development in working life. As part of the degree programme, the skills will be acquired that will allow graduates to practice as, for example, a developer of nursing triage, a team leader, or an initiator of a variety of change and development processes in health care. The degree offers career development opportunities for independent expert tasks and entrepreneurship, and will strengthen the graduate's employment market value. The degree programme also provides the readiness to operate as a clinical nursing expert in multicultural and international environments. COURSE CONTENT AND PERFORMANCE Figure 1. Structure chart of master's degree programme in advanced nursing practice The Master's degree studies at JAMK University of Applied Sciences include advanced vocational studies, elective studies, and the thesis that develops working life. The studies consist of courses and wider competence areas. In November 2012, the common joint study modules for the Master's degrees at JAMK University of Applied Sciences include research and development studies, entrepreneurship and management studies, and international studies. The common studies also include the thesis, 30 ECTS credits, while the evaluation criteria and implementation process are the same in different Master's degrees programmes (see chart below). In addition, the School of Business and Services Management and the School of Health and Social Studies have a joint Master's Thesis Work Group.
Curriculum 3 (7) Figure 2. Structure of JAMK master s degrees 2014-2015, 90 ects credits The core competence area of the Master's Degree Programme in Advanced Nursing Practice is clinical nursing expertise, with the emphasis on competence in evidencebased practice and the investigative development of working life. Clinical nursing experts are able to use and develop evidence-based methods for promotion of public health, prevention, the assessment of the necessity of care, and nursing in their competence area. They know how to act as an independent expert in demanding nursing tasks. They master clinical pharmacology and pharmacotherapy in their competence area. The area of expertise establishes a student s knowledge and skills to ground their decisions on the best available evidence and thereby allows the student to acquire the skills that they will need to develop evidence-based nursing care in their own area of expertise. Furthermore, the aim of studies is to broaden their knowledge in terms of ethical decision-making and to allow them acquire the skills to analyse changes in national and regional operating environments. Students will identify the strengths and development targets of their expertise and expand their target-orientated networking method of working. Clinical expertise includes the development of lifelong learning skills, the strengthening of ethical skills, the enhancement of international competence, development and innovation know-how, and the development of workplace and entrepreneurial skills. The goal is for students to achieve a critical, development-orientated method of working when acting as an expert in nursing in various organisations or as an entrepreneur. Students can include in their degree the aforementioned studies, either in elective or advanced vocational studies in accordance with their personal learning plan (PLP). In addition to the courses offered within the degree programme, it is possible to choose courses from the JAMK s entire post-graduate studies course selection. Studies are available in Finnish and English. The students can make their career plan choices
Curriculum 4 (7) inside study modules/courses by means of study assignments and their thesis. Studies are carried out in a multi-form way by utilising working life and the wider research and development projects as learning environments. The course shall be completed within two semesters from its beginning. The exception is the graduation thesis, practical training,special working life oriented project studies, as well as extensive courses implemented in a number of semesters. In cases where a course remains incomplete, the student shall re-start it. LEARNING ASSESSMENT At the beginning of the first contact period of the course, the learning objectives and content of the course are reviewed, along with various completion procedures and evaluation criteria, and the possible time frame for the test (the precise time at which this will be carried out) is agreed upon along with the course completion date, after which time no further efforts will be accepted. Students have the opportunity to try to complete a course a total of three times: during the immediate performance of the course or in two specially determined resit exam times. Learning outcomes are assessed in relation to the course s learning objectives. Assessment decisions are based on the evaluation criteria provided in the course descriptions. Courses are assessed on the assessment scale that is specified in the course description. According to its purpose, the scale may be one of five steps: 5 (excellent), 4 (very good), 3 (good), 2 (satisfactory) and 1 (adequate) or a pass (P) or fail (0). The course has been failed (with a fail (0)) if the student does not achieve the minimum outcomes that are set for the completion of the course. Students have the right to know how the evaluation criteria are applied to their skills. Course performance is recorded in the transcript of records no later than one month after the declared point of completion for the course and always before the end of the academic year. Competence assessment is based on qualifications, competence areas and the descriptions of objectives for the courses, and the assessment criteria is drawn up on their basis. The student's self review and peer review has an important role in the development of competence in terms of assessment. At the beginning of the studies, students conduct a SWOT analysis, and on the basis of this they are able to reach conclusions about the strengths in their expertise and the development challenges that face them. Based on this, a personal learning plan (PLP) with development objectives is created. During their studies, students evaluate their own skills development through learning tasks as well as in personal guidance discussions with the teacher. In the graduation phase, students re-analyse their skills, which is an important part of the systematic career development process. In addition to selfassessment, in the Master's Degree Programme in Advanced Nursing Practice peer feedback is also used. Providing and receiving peer feedback are both part of the assessment of the development of the student's competence. ACCREDITATION AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING (RPL) The procedures for accreditation are described in the Degree Regulations and in the Study Guide. At the beginning of one s studies, each student will do the competence mapping, in which case it is possible to recognise and acknowledge the student's prior learning in relation to the learning objective competence of the degree programme. On the basis of this evaluation, and during the first academic term, the teacher in charge works with the student to conduct a personal learning plan (PLP) guidance discussion on
Curriculum 5 (7) MODE OF STUDY their personal study choices and to work out a possible accreditation of their prior learning. The main method for the performance of the studies is as follows: contact and distance learning (eg. online learning, online studies) independent studies simultaneous studies carried out in the workplace, as well as research and development project-based learning PROFESSIONAL GROWTH AND KNOW-HOW QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS AND REGULATIONS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION GRADUATION Education is implemented as multiform and online studies. The duration of studies is 2.5-3 years when completed while working. Classroom teaching covers an average of two days per month for the first year and-a-half. After this, the thesis process continues in the form of joint seminars and personal instruction. The teaching includes flexibly combined classroom and group work in classroom learning, online learning, on-the-job learning and independent study. With the help of a personal learning plan (PLP), it is possible to build up a personalised study path by means of on-the-job learning and making wide use of the study offerings of the Master's degree programmes throughout JAMK. JAMK's virtual learning environment and a variety of social media tools are actively used in the implementation of courses and in the counselling of students. Part of the training programme takes place entirely in the form of online studies, allowing time and space for untied adult education. Working students have the opportunity to direct the learning tasks that are included in the courses to their workplace. International cooperation is accomplished with the Dutch Utrecht University of Applied Sciences. This network cooperation extends student study offerings and provides the opportunity to network with experts in nursing, both nationally and globally. Students are supported in the progress of the thesis with the help of thesis seminars which are carried out on a regular basis. The working life supervisors for the thesis are sought to become involved from the beginning of the guidance process so that they are closely linked to the student's guidance. The competence of all the Master's degrees at JAMK University of Applied Sciences is built on core professional skills, research and development expertise, international expertise, entrepreneurial and management skills, and on the thesis (see graph in COURSE CONTENT AND PERFORMANCE). Studies are available in Finnish and English. Students can include in their degree the aforementioned studies either in elective or advanced vocational studies in accordance with their personal learning plan. Students make their career plan choices inside competence areas or courses through study assignments and their thesis. Studies can be carried out in a multiform way with different learning methods, as projects or research and development projects. The profession (Master's degree) does not have specific eligibility requirements that are based on legislation. Master s degree programme is free for the students. The requirement for being in receipt of a certificate for a Master's Degree is that students complete the studies in their degree programme during their study period in accordance with the personal learning plan (PLP). JAMK University of Applied Sciences provides students with a certificate of completion of their Master's Degree (90 ECTS credits). A transcript is attached to the certificate.
Curriculum 6 (7) EMPLOYMENT AND FURTHER STUDIES EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES OPPORTUNITIES FOR POST-GRADUATE STUDIES OTHER INFORMATION HEAD OF THE DEGREE PROGRAMME Nursing triage duties developer and specialist positions such as team leader, leader of change, and development processes, project manager and wellness entrepreneur. The Master s degree at the University of Applied Sciences is a university level Master s degree. A student who has graduated has the opportunity to undertake postgraduate studies at university scientific or artistic postgraduate studies ( 37/558/2009). Students can also continue by applying for the corresponding continuing education programmes at foreign universities. The University of Applied Sciences also offers continuing education opportunities for specialisation studies, learning agreement type in-service training, as well as in working life based continuing education. All further studies must be applied for separately. The Master's degree provides eligibility for public office or for a position requiring a university degree. In addition, the degree provides eligibility for vocational teacher education. Leena Liimatainen, Head of Department, +358 4 0837 7710 Hanna Hopia, programme coordinator, Principal Lecturer +358 4 0098 9446 PROGRAMME PLANNING PROCESS SCHOOL QUALITY MANAGEMENT firstname.lastname@jamk.fi In the design of the degree programme and in the definition of the learning objectives, teachers, students, alumni and representatives of working life from various health care organisations have all been involved. In the design work the Clinical nursing skills development group, which consists of the Central Finland region's leading health care workers, have also participated. The curriculum work has utilised the current national action programmes, such as the "Nursing National Action Plan", as well as the National Master's Health Network member s expertise. Development of the curriculum has taken into account the views of the students who have participated in the degree programme, and these views have been collected in group and personal discussions and through course feedback. In addition to the aspects described above in the curriculum work, the domestic and international research data on the roles, tasks and responsibilities of a clinical nursing expert have been utilised. JAMK University of Applied Sciences School of Health and Social Studies, adult education Puistokatu 35, 40100 Jyväskylä JAMK University of Applied Sciences is using the quality management system that has been audited by the Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council (FINHEEC). Education is developed on the basis of course feedback collected from students. The principles of the curriculum are approved by the JAMK University of Applied Sciences Academic Board and by the Vice Rector of the degree programme specific curriculum. PEDAGOGICAL PRINCIPLES The degree programme is implemented in accordance with the pedagogical principles established by the University of Applied Sciences Academic Board. For more information: http://opinto-oppaat.jamk.fi/en/study-guide-masters- Degrees/Studying-at-jamk/Degree-regulations-pedagogical-and-ethical-principles/
Curriculum 7 (7) ETHICAL PRINCIPLES LAST UPDATE The students and employees of JAMK University of Applied Sciences operate jointly according to the accepted (by JAMK Academic Board on 15.12.2010) ethical principles. For more information: http://opinto-oppaat.jamk.fi/en/study-guide-masters- Degrees/Studying-at-jamk/Degree-regulations-pedagogical-and-ethical-principles/ 19 December 2013 LL CURRICULUM APPROVED 20 January 2014 Heikki Malinen, Vice Rector