CURRICULUM REVISION - REACHING FACULTY CONSENSUS THROUGH THE NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE

A fundamental concept to initiate change in the curriculum revision pr ocess is to overcome resistance to change and the boundaries of self-i nterest. Curriculum change cannot occur without an ''unfreezing'' of f aculty values and interests. The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) was use d to facilitate faculty identification of areas needing change in the undergraduate nursing curriculum. The process led to the generation of numerous independent ideas in which all faculty participated. The rev ised curriculum which resulted from the NGT process has had full and e nthusiastic support of the faculty. The University of South Alabama Co llege of Nursing baccalaureate in nursing program has been a highly su ccessful program, but it had a very traditional curriculum in which th e majority of clinical learning experiences occurred in acute care set tings. As changes continue to occur in the health care arena, faculty of the College recognized significant curriculum changes needed to be made to prepare graduates for the future of health care and practice i n community-based settings. This article describes the NGT and its use in initiating faculty discussions concerning the need for curriculum revision and the reaching of faculty consensus on a new curriculum pla n.