1. Background of the department
  2. Nursing Department was established under former Asella Health Science College in 1992 G/C. However, upgraded to BSc level both in regular and extension program in 2006 E.C under ASTU.
  3. In its expansion, different subspecialties like in OTN and neonatal nursing are launched & started last year in 2007 E.C  
  4. About Department
  5. Objectives of the program

To equip nurses with a complex mix of knowledge, skills and attitudes and preparing competent graduate nurses to their professional roles expected in the broader society.

  • Graduate Profile
  • Upon completion of the B.Sc. nursing program, the graduates will be able to Perform the core competencies organized in seven domains or thematic areas:

DOMAIN 1: SOCIO-CULTURAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH CONTEXT OF NURSING CARE

Competency: The comprehensive nurses apply the knowledge, attitude and skills acquired from social, behavioral and public health sciences on the basis of high quality, culturally relevant and appropriate health services to clients in all age groups. In order to achieve this outcome, the graduates are expected to:

  • Comprehend mechanisms of disease causation and epidemiological approaches Analyze, interpret and use health and health related indicators
  • Apply different types of epidemiological designs
  • Illustrate epidemiology of diseases of public health importance in Ethiopia
  • Apply the concepts and models of disease prevention and health promotion
  • Analyze, socio-cultural, socio-economic, psychological, environmental& behavioral determinants of health and disease at individual, family and community level
  • Apply methods of nutritional assessment, interpret results and provide nutritional counseling and education
  • Apply knowledge of HIV, sexual and reproductive health into practice
  • Demonstrate the ability to promote the health of populations by influencing lifestyle, nutrition and socio-economic, physical and cultural environment through methods of health promotion, including health education, directed towards populations, communities and individuals
  • Analyze causes of morbidity and mortality and devise strategies to reduce them
  • Apply principles of public emergency and disaster management
  • Use information technologies for health promotion and disease prevention
  • Apply principles of diversity and provide culturally relevant service to all age groups

DOMAIN 2: PROFESSIONAL, ETHICAL & LEGAL PRACTICE OF NURSING

Competency: The comprehensive nurses apply professionalism, ethical and legal practices through demonstrating standardized nursing care that is consistent with moral, altruistic, legal, ethical, regulatory, and humanistic principles. Client-centered care is providing holistic care that recognizes individuals’ preferences, values and needs and respects the client or designee as a full partner in providing coordinated, age and culturally appropriate, compassionate, respectful, safe and effective care.

  • Perform holistic nursing practices in relation to current patient care information, professional practice standards, guidelines, rules and regulations
  • Provide rationale for decisions and actions in matters related to provision of care for clients
  • Manage teamwork and collaborative performances across an array of functions
  • Apply evidence-based nursing knowledge in the provision of care for the client
  • Document accurately and timely relevant health care data to ensure patient safety and improve health outcome
  • Serve as a role model, change agent, teacher and mentor in their professional life
  • Participate in ethical decision-making within the multidisciplinary team
  • Take responsibility and accountability for own decisions, actions or omissions in nursing care delivery
  • Apply ethical theories and principles to make sound decisions related to nursing care delivery
  • Adhere to all relevant ethical codes of conduct and standards set by the profession, including, but not limited to, confidentiality, privacy and respect for dignity
  • Advocate for maintaining standard of care and evidence based practice
  • Protect clients from incompetent, unethical or illegal healthcare practices, and unconsented research endeavors
  • Maintain patients’ bill of rights throughout the course of nursing care service including, but not limited to, guidance, informed choice and consent
  • Apply compassionate and respectful nursing care
  • Practices within a prescribed legal framework relevant to own practice, including but not limited to, the Constitution, the Children’s Act, Nursing Act, National Health Act
  • Report any malpractices, tort, and criminal acts to responsible body

DOMAIN 3: COMPREHENSIVE NURSING CARE AND PRACTICE

Competency: The comprehensive nurses provide holistic nursing care through a direct interaction with patients, families and groups of patients to promote health or well-being and improve quality of life. Comprehensive nursing care will be provided by applying five distinct and sequential processes: assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation and evaluation).

In order to achieve this competence, the graduates are expected to:

  1. Assess, diagnose, plan and manage client problems, and evaluate outcomes using nursing process as a framework
  2. Anticipate and manage potential complications and collaborative problems of clients
  3. Manage common emergency, acute & chronic health problems accordingly
  4. Perform basic nursing procedures correctly and independently
  5. Assist advanced diagnostic and therapeutic procedures applied for clients undergoing medical or surgical care
  6. Perform preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative care for clients in all age groups
  7. Apply biomedical sciences knowledge and skill to manage client problem
  8. Provide holistic maternal, newborn, child, adolescent and geriatric care
  9. Take history and collects relevant health data from clients or significant others
  10. Performs comprehensive physical examinations to identify physical, mental or emotional problems of the client
  11. Analyze and interpret health data through the functional health pattern (Gordon’s) approach
  12. Documents and report findings with the patient, patient family (when appropriate) and the multidisciplinary team in a timely manner
  13. Work collaboratively with other health workers to help solicit client information
  14. Analyses and utilizes assessment information to make a clinical judgment about the clients’ status and responses to actual or potential health conditions.
  15. Utilizes expert knowledge to interpret results of screenings and diagnostic investigations performed
  16. Formulates nursing and/or medical diagnosis
  17. Make prioritization of clients problem
  18. Identify and document expected outcomes and goals
  19. Develop a prioritized plan of care that includes interventions and alternatives to attain expected outcomes for the client
  20. Reviews and revises the plan with the client, the client family and multidisciplinary team
  21. Considers economic, social, religious, cultural and environmental conditions of the clients during designing nursing plan of care
  22. Implements the interventions identified in the plan of care in-line with evidence-based nursing practice
  23. Collaborates with nursing colleagues and other members of the healthcare team to implement the plan of care
  24. Implement the plan of care with efficient utilization of resources
  25. Integrates principles of safety and quality into interventions
  26. Documents implementation of the identified plan accordingly
  27. Evaluate patient outcomes against stated goals and outcome criteria
  28. Monitor progress of client status and adjust nursing care plan accordingly
  29. Collaborate with clients, their family and health care team in the evaluation process
  30. Document all processes and outcomes, and keep them confidential

DOMAIN 4: COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION

This domain encompasses competencies that the comprehensive nurse graduate should attain as regards to communication, use of technology and application of basic principles of communications. They are also expected to acquire empathic communication skills and techniques for effective interpersonal relationships with people and other professionals in health care settings. The major competencies that graduate should possess include: –

  • Communicate effectively both verbally and/or non-verbally in the patient care environment
  • Practice proper recording and documentation of patient care related information and other relevant data produced in their practice environment
  • Demonstrate effective communication with clients/patients, their family, health care team and the community at large
  • Forge seamless collaboration and partnership with people within and outside of the health organizations
  • Utilize information, education and communication(IEC) and behavior        change communication (BCC) materials for proper communication and education of clients
  • Apply therapeutic communication skills in the management of client
  • Communicate appropriately in special circumstances and sensitive issues
  • Effectively use information management technologies for health care
  • Provide counseling service for clients based on their scope

DOMAIN 5: MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP

The competences expected under the leadership and managerial domain involves working as a team leader, change agent, patient advocator, planner and mentor for the wellbeing of clients, rapid recovery, independence and safety through efficient use of scarce resources and instituting a continuous performance improvement process. To address those roles graduates are expected to acquire the following specific competencies.

  • Employ a continuous and sustainable quality improvement mechanisms to improve client outcomes and transform future nursing practices
  • Take responsibility in managing and leading health programs at all level of managerial hierarchy
  • Act as change agents, role model, mentor and provide leadership to enhance peoples’ wellbeing and experience of healthcare
  • Play a team lead role and model professionalism to peers and other colleagues in the public health landscape
  • Mange time and resources effectively and efficiently to ensure nursing quality of care is maintained and clients outcome improved
  • Apply principles of leadership in the management of clinical care and utilization of resources
  • Advocate for safe working environment for nursing and medical care provision
  • Participate in the development and implementation of standards, practice guidelines, policies and protocol
  • Design and facilitate in-service training to health professionals working across an array of functions
  • Monitor and evaluate the progress of implementation of activities
  • Take initiatives and manage changes for improvement of health service quality
  • Apply management and leadership theories in execution of nursing care and delegation of responsibilities
  • Attain continuous professional and personal development
  • Materialize participation in nursing council and other professional societies
  • Apply principles of conflict management in the work environment
  • Envision to demonstrate excellence in managing the health system at different levels

DOMAIN 6: EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE AND RESEARCH

Competency: Actively engage in scientific research endeavors, interpretation and application of evidences in clinical practice and quality improvement interventions. In order to achieve this outcome, the graduates are expected to:

  • Search, collect, organize and interpret health and biomedical information from different databases
  • Retrieve and use patient-specific information from a clinical data system through maintaining confidentiality and protection of individual data
  • Formulate hypotheses, collect and critically evaluate data to find solution for the problems, and disseminate findings.
  • Identify knowledge and performance gaps that can be solved by using systematic methods
  • Use information technology and application systems to manage research data and navigate to access online information and literatures
  • Advocate for keeping patients’ right during research activities
  • Utilize updated nursing research findings for evidence-based nursing practice and quality improvement interventions
  • Participate in critical appraisal of research findings and scholarly activities

DOMAIN 7: EDUCATIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Competency: a comprehensive nurse professional must actively engage in educational quality improvement initiative and demonstrate competence in the domain of educational & professional development.

  1. Acquires current knowledge and skills that reflect evidence-based practice and applies them appropriately in a practice setting
  2. Evaluates own nursing knowledge and practice in relation to current patient care information, professional practice standards, guidelines and rules and regulations
  3. Possess professional excellence and competence through continuing education and lifelong learning
  4. Apply principles of teaching, learning and evaluation to design educational programs that enhance the knowledge and practice of staff in the different care unit
  5. Participates in formal and informal education of others
  6. Mentors staff and students in different care units to develop expertise in the care of patients/clients
  7. Mentors’ colleagues for the advancement of comprehensive nursing care practice, nursing profession and quality of care
  8. Mentors’ colleagues in acquisition of clinical knowledge, skills, abilities and judgment
  9. Teach nursing students at college, university and health facility level
  10. Involve in curriculum design and implementation process
  11. Demonstrate pedagogic skills of education, and assessment
  12. Provide peers with formal and informal constructive feedback regarding their practice or role performance to enhance professional development/advancement
  13. Promote professionalism and continuous professional development
  14. Demonstrates commitment to personal and professional development of self and others
  • Program profile

For completion of this BSc-nursing program, a total of four and half year’s study duration is required to covered a total of 288 ECTS. On the first year of study module 1-15 in semester base and on the second year of study period module 16-20 will be covered. On the third clinical and theoretical course in module 21-26 will be covered in year base. Finally, for the fourth and half year, modules 27-41 will be covered. After completing this all module, National comprehensive examination will be given for the students before engaging to industry or health care practice.

  • Program duration
    • Duration = 4 and half years (year based except first year)
    • One year= 48 weeks of duration
    • Total ETCTS= 288
  • Admission Requirement
    • Candidates must be a natural science student in secondary school & preparatory classes and full fill the following criteria
    • Meet the set criteria of the Ministry of Education for degree students to join higher learning institution
    • Physically and mentally fit for nursing service
    • Preferably, those who choose to enter the profession.
  • Graduate requirement
    • Students are required to achieve a passing mark of C (55%) in knowledge based and C+ (60%) in performance assessments in core modules and comprehensive exit exams to qualify for graduation respectively.
    • A student cannot graduate with a grade point average (GPA) of less than 2.0 out of the 4-scale grading system. That being said however, he/she should at least score a minimum of C+(>60%) and above for all major modules and C (≥55%) for supportive courses (SPH) to be eligible for graduation.
  • Degree Nomenclature
  • Upon successful completion of the Four and half year’s program, the graduate will be awarded the degree of ‘Bachelor of Science in Nursing and in Amharic ‘የሳይንስ ባችለር ዲግሪ በነርስነት
  • Assessment & evaluation methods
  • Evaluation will be in the form of formative and summative assessments.
  • Continuous assessment will be used for both formative and summative assessment
  • Continuous assessment consists of practical write-ups, clinical case studies, assessment of practical skills (reports from supervisors and objectively structured clinical examination), quizzes, spot-tests and group exercises.
  •  Summative assessment will take the form of end of each course examinations,
    assessment of project papers, internal and external evaluation (Internship qualified
    exam and comprehensive exam).
  • Log book is used in both formative and summative assessment
  • Before attaching nursing, internship there will be pre-internship examination, which
    includes written and practical examinations (OSPE/OSCE).
     At the end of four and half year there will be national qualification exam.