Answer

Nursing is a critical field in the world of science; it there calls for the nursing fraternity at different places of training to develop an adequate and complete curriculum specific to their needs or the general one, to cover the larger medical needs. A curriculum is a formal educational guide aimed at ensuring that a student in a specific field attains the desired skills for the field that is required for the field of work chosen (Iwasiw, Goldenberg & Andrusyszyn, 2014). This study looks at curriculum development with an aim of establishing the needs assessment in the process of developing a nursing curriculum with the University of Arkansas as the community under study.

According to Keating (2014), In the late 19th and early 20th centuries there was no standard for nursing training, each institution had its own set of guidelines, it is until Isabel Hampton a superintendent at the John Hopkins hospital and principle at the training school came up with the proposal to standardize nursing training and develop a single curriculum, entry requirements, and graduation requirements. This was the beginning of a standard nursing training and curriculum development.

Curriculum change or development can be as a result of a demand within a society or as a result of the need for a change, the need for change is taken into consideration by the faculty who studies the most appropriate cause of action to take which may include updating and doing away with courses that do not suit the needs of the community (Keating, 2014).  A board of reviewers is set to determine this need and their findings analyzed to give the outcome. The university of Arkansas population is made up of the academic and nonacademic staff and the students who make up the larger population, all these would need the services of a nurse in the university hospital and then there are the students in the nursing department training to attain qualification (www.uams.edu). Even though the curriculum change may directly affect the lecturers and students, the effects trickle down to all members of the society at large.

Data is collected to determine the need for curriculum change. The data collected is analyzed research questions are developed to guide through the process. Data collection should include the students at Arkansas University, curriculum developers from the nursing school and the community around it. The data collected should be coded according to pattern coding first-level coding. These coding themes should then be analyzed through cross-case analysis and pattern matching.  The application of both the internal and external frames can also be used in curriculum development (Keating, 2014).

Within the university of Arkansas community, the need for nurses is there. This is because the institution has a hospital and medical institute ( the University of Arkansas for medical sciences) that serves the student and the teaching and nonteaching staff; it also serves the local community with clinics in the neighborhood. This shows the need for nurses and training to meet these needs of the community.

The internal economic situation in the university is stable. This means it can manage the best facilities to train the nursing students as well as hire the most qualified trainers for the institution. Even though the need for nurses and nursing training is on the rise, the funding for such programs has not reflected the same and as such care should be taken while reviewing some programs within the faculty (Keating, 2014). The economic situation affects such other areas as, classes and laboratories, tutors and books among others.

Conclusion

There is the need for curriculum review, this helps keep the trainees in different fields up to date and makes the courses relevant to the needs of the society. The University of Arkansas is a dynamic community comprising of a group of individuals pursuing different tasks but all linked up by the university. There is the need for nurses and nursing training. There however is a need to ensure that some factors are considered before a review or the development of a curriculum is done (billings and Halstead, 2013).