QSEN Competencies Course Design Assignment Brief

Assignment Overview

This assessment requires you to develop a comprehensive course outline for a nursing practice topic that integrates Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) competencies. The assignment aligns with the Institute of Medicine’s call for nursing education reform and prepares you to design curriculum that addresses contemporary healthcare quality and safety challenges.

Course Context

Course design is guided by curriculum outcomes, and course outlines must be developed to ensure that learners are meeting the intended outcomes. Curriculum development and course design are influenced by many factors, such as program level and setting. The course design process begins with broad program or organizational outcomes and narrows to specific objectives to guide instruction. The purpose of this assignment is to develop a course outline for one topic related to nursing practice (e.g., leadership, pediatric nursing, community health, psychiatric nursing, theoretical nursing, etc.) that includes all key elements (name of the course, course outcomes, topical outlines/modules, and assessments including assigned weight).

Assignment Task

Develop a complete course outline that incorporates at least two of the QSEN competencies and four course objectives. You will choose a health care practice for this assignment and build upon it throughout the course in order to achieve an understanding of the curriculum development process.

Required Elements

1. Course Identification
   • Course title and code
   • Credit hours
   • Prerequisites
   • Course description (150-200 words)
2. Course Outcomes
   • Three to five measurable course outcomes
   • Alignment with program outcomes
3. QSEN Competencies Integration
   • Minimum two QSEN competencies thoroughly integrated
   • Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes (KSAs) for each competency
   • Supporting details for implementation
4. Course Objectives by Modules
   • Minimum four course objectives
   • Module breakdown with specific learning objectives
   • Content outline for each module
5. Assessment Strategy
   • Assessment methods with assigned weights
   • Alignment between assessments and outcomes
   • Grading criteria
6. Learning Resources
   • Required textbooks and materials
   • Supplementary resources

QSEN Competencies Reference

The six QSEN competencies you may select from include:

• Patient-Centered Care: Recognize the patient or designee as the source of control and full partner in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patient’s preferences, values, and needs.
• Teamwork and Collaboration: Function effectively within nursing and inter-professional teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, and shared decision-making to achieve quality patient care.
• Evidence-Based Practice: Integrate best current evidence with clinical expertise and patient/family preferences and values for delivery of optimal health care.
• Quality Improvement: Use data to monitor the outcomes of care processes and use improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems.
• Safety: Minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.
• Informatics: Use information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and support decision making.

Formatting Requirements

• Length: 1,050–1,400 words
• Format: APA 7th Edition
• Include title page and reference page (not counted in word limit)
• Use headings and subheadings to organize content
• Submit through the learning management system

Grading Rubric

Sample Course Outline Structure

Below is an excerpt demonstrating how to structure your course outline for a psychiatric nursing course focused on underserved populations:

“The psychiatric nursing in underserved populations champion course teaches nurse practitioners about empathetic advocacy for psychiatric nursing services, patient education, multidisciplinary team involvement and benefits of championing. The course includes discussion of legal and ethical issues in psychiatric nurses, nurse leadership, policy focus, advocacy, interprofessional collaboration research, and intervention to promote mental health. Upon completing this course, nurse practitioners will teach patients, caregivers, and families about the significance of championing for services while empathetically providing care to underserved communities with high dedication and passion for their roles.”

Research indicates that integrating QSEN competencies into nursing curricula significantly improves patient safety outcomes and prepares graduates for complex healthcare environments. According to recent findings on QSEN competency implementation, structured educational interventions enhance nurses’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for safe and high-quality patient care. The competencies serve as a framework for clinical education and evaluation of nursing students’ experiences across diverse healthcare settings.

Follow-Up: Implementation Strategies

When implementing QSEN competencies in your course design, consider that collaboration and teamwork consistently demonstrate the highest competency scores among nursing students, while evidence-based practice and informatics often require additional scaffolding. The QSEN Institute competencies framework suggests that effective course design should balance cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains rather than overemphasizing theoretical knowledge alone. Faculty should incorporate experiential learning opportunities, simulation activities, and reflective practice to bridge the gap between classroom learning and clinical application. This approach aligns with findings that nurses who receive targeted QSEN education demonstrate measurably improved performance in quality and safety domains compared to those receiving traditional instruction.

Follow-Up: Common Student Questions

Students frequently ask how to distinguish between course outcomes and course objectives when designing their outlines. Course outcomes represent broad, measurable statements of what students will achieve by the end of the course, typically aligned with program-level outcomes and employer expectations. Course objectives are more specific, module-level statements that break down the learning into discrete, observable behaviors. Another common concern involves selecting appropriate QSEN competencies for specific nursing specialties. For leadership-focused courses, teamwork and collaboration paired with quality improvement often yield the strongest curricular integration. For clinical specialty courses such as pediatric or psychiatric nursing, patient-centered care combined with safety competencies typically addresses the most critical practice gaps. When in doubt, consult the QSEN pre-licensure KSAs to ensure your selected competencies include specific, measurable knowledge, skills, and attitudes appropriate for your target learner level.

References

1. Cronenwett, L., Sherwood, G., Barnsteiner, J., Disch, J., Johnson, J., Mitchell, P., Sullivan, D. T., & Warren, J. (2007). Quality and safety education for nurses. Nursing Outlook, 55(3), 122-131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2007.02.006
2. Institute of Medicine. (2003). Health professions education: A bridge to quality. National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/10681
3. Prion, S. K., Adamson, K. A., Jeffries, P. R., & Doucette, J. N. (2015). Development and validation of performance tools for new nursing graduates based on QSEN competencies. Journal of Nursing Education, 54(2), 85-92. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20160114-07
4. Sullivan, D. T., Hirst, D., & Cronenwett, L. (2005). Quality and safety education for nurses: A call to action. Journal of Nursing Education, 44(10), 445-447. https://doi.org/10.3928/0148-4834-20051001-05
5. Westmoreland County Community College. (2025). Nursing program handbook 2024-2025. https://westmoreland.edu/academics/programs/nursing/nursing-handbook-2024-2025-january2025update.pdf
6. How do I write a QSEN competencies course design assignment for nursing school?
7. QSEN Course Design Assignment Guide
8. Develop QSEN-Integrated Nursing Course Outline
9. Creating a nursing course design that incorporates patient safety and quality improvement competencies
10. Compose a 1,050–1,400-word APA formatted paper developing a comprehensive nursing course outline that integrates two QSEN competencies and four measurable course objectives. Include course outcomes, module objectives, assessment strategies with assigned weights, and learning resources aligned with quality and safety education standards.

•  Write a 3–4 page course design assignment creating a complete nursing course outline that incorporates QSEN competencies, four course objectives, and detailed assessment rubrics. Submit through your learning management system following APA 7th Edition guidelines.
•  Develop a nursing course outline integrating QSEN competencies with measurable objectives, module content, and weighted assessments to demonstrate curriculum design proficiency.

Assignment Preview: Week 3 Discussion Post

Course: NRS-451VN Nursing Leadership and Management

Title: QSEN Competencies in Clinical Practice Reflection

Overview: This discussion post requires you to reflect on your clinical experiences and identify specific instances where QSEN competencies were either successfully implemented or could have been improved. You will analyze a patient care scenario through the lens of patient-centered care, safety, and teamwork, then propose evidence-based recommendations for enhancing quality outcomes.

Requirements: Your initial post should be 300–500 words and include one scholarly citation from a peer-reviewed nursing journal published within the last five years. Respond to two peers with substantive feedback that extends the discussion (150–200 words each).

Due: Week 3, Day 4 (Initial Post); Week 3, Day 7 (Peer Responses)