A rigorous spring semester course load for sophomore nursing students has led nursing faculty to alter the program's curriculum to lighten students' academic workload.
The changes include students now taking NURS 3300 during the fall of their junior year instead of the spring of their sophomore year as well as reviewing and streamlining content in classes.
“We streamlined some of the content because when we reviewed the content, we noticed that some former faculty that used to teach the content had made it much more intense than we think it really needs to be,” said John Chovan, the Chair of the Department of Nursing. “We want to make it so they learn what they need to learn and not be so stressed out about it.”
These curriculum changes came after many sophomore nursing students reported feelings of stress and anxiety about future coursework to the nursing faculty and staff.
“Being a nursing major is a full-time job,” said sophomore nursing major Jourdan Woltz. “I study about 20 hours a week outside of class.”
Chovan encourages nursing students to reach out for help if they are struggling in classes and to not be afraid that they will be looked down upon for seeking out support.
“The faculty here in the department of nursing and all of Otterbein are really committed to student success,” Chovan said. “So, talk to your advisor, talk to faculty, if you talk to your faculty and want someone else to talk to, come talk to me. I’m very available when a student needs to talk.”
Chovan also says that while the nursing program may be difficult at times, Otterbein nurses are recognized and respected in the workforce for having completed Otterbein’s nursing curriculum.
“Out in the field, Otterbein nurses are known as having come from Otterbein and that’s because we integrate the thinking with the doing,” Chovan said. “We know our goal is to have students that come here become Otterbein nurses. We want them to be really good for everything we’re known for."
