Page 95 - Bachelor of Nursing Sciences

FACULTY OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITI MALAYA

http://medicine.um.edu.my
INTRODUCTION

The Bachelor of Nursing Sciences programme is offered by the Department of Nursing Sciences,
Faculty of Medicine. Department of Nursing Science was first established in 1993 as a Nursing
Science unit under the Department of Allied Health Sciences. It was the first nursing unit to
recognize the importance of baccalaureate education in nursing and became the pioneer in the
transition in the nursing education program by upgrading nursing education from a diploma to a
graduate program, Bachelor of Nursing Sciences in Malaysia. The unit has been involved in the
undergraduate teaching leading to Bachelor in Nursing Sciences ever since its formation.

The unit was established as a clinical department: Department of Nursing Science in Faculty of
Medicine, University of Malaya on the 1 July 2007.
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The Vision of the Department is to be a center of excellence in nursing education by producing
registered nurses that are competent, safe, has good moral values and critical thinking ability, caring
and interacts with clients, families and communities in providing care in various health services in
the country. With this vision our mission is to be excellent in educating and producing graduate at
tertiary level in line with changes in technology and services in the field of nursing in Malaysia
through teaching and learning and evidence-based practice.

Bachelor of Nursing Sciences Programme covers eight semesters and one special semesters within
4 years and is specially designed to prepare nursing students with relevant knowledge,
competencies and professionalism at undergraduate level.

The aim of this course is to produce nursing graduates with in-depth knowledge in nursing and
medical sciences. Upon completion, graduates are expected to practice nursing critically and
ethically by applying scientific nursing foundation in health care delivery.

SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING

‘In its broadest meaning, self-directed learning describes a process in which individuals take the
initiative, with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulation learning
goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, choosing and implementing
appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes’.
(Knowles, M. (1975). Self-Directed Learning. Chicago: Follet. p.18)

At the Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya, we want students to drive their own learning. While
this may appear easy to do on paper, learning to learn independently can be a challenge. Some of
you may have the inherent characteristics of a self-directed learner. For others, you will have to train
yourself to be a self-directed learner. While the faculty and lecturers are ready to guide you in your
teaching and learning via an outcome-based curriculum, self-directed learning goes a step further
by expecting students to display [Figure 1]:
Ownership of Learning
• Articulate learning gaps.
• Set learning goals.
• Identify learning tasks to achieve the goals.
• Extension of Own Learning
• Learn beyond the curriculum.
• Empowerment through self-learning
• Management and Monitoring of Own Learning
• Explore alternative methods of learning.
• Make sound decisions.
• Formulate questions and generate own inquiries.
• Plan and manage workload and time effectively and efficiently.
• Reflect on your learning.

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