Science Talks 6 (2023) 100194

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journal homepage: www.elsevier.es/sctalk

A cross-sectional descriptive study on school deans' perspectives about

nursing education in Jordan
⁎
Jasper Erwin Tolarba a, , Huda Gharaibeh b,
⁎
a
The Binational Fulbright Commission in Jordan, P.O. Box 850215, Amman 11185, Jordan
b
Jordan University of Science and Technology, P.O.Box 3030, Irbid 22110, Jordan

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Nurses constitute almost half of the entire health care professionals in the Kingdom of Jordan. They are entrusted to
Nursing education provide quality care to more than 10 million Jordanians, refugees, and tourists yearly. This study was conducted to
Quality analyze the perception of all nursing school heads of academic institutions offering a baccalaureate degree of nursing
Perception program in terms of the quality of nursing education in Jordan. Findings showed that nursing education Jordan has its
Jordan nurses
strengths in its academic faculty, clinical faculty, governance, program graduate outcomes, and program graduate at-
Nursing
tributes. Some weak areas in Jordan nursing education as identified by school heads are in the categories of curriculum
partnerships, school infrastructures, and professional development opportunities of its faculty.

Video and Presentation to this article can be found online at https://doi.

org/10.1016/j.sctalk.2023.100194.

Figures and tables

Table 1
Demographic profile of respondents.
Gender
Females 6 (42.9%)
Males 8 (57.1%)
Level of Education
Doctorate 14 (100%)
Masters 0 (0.0%)

Table 2
Demographic profile of schools.
Type
Public 6 (42.9%)
Private 8 (57.1%)
Accreditation, external
ACEN-accredited 2 (14.3%)
Not-ACEN accredited 12 (85.7%)

⁎ Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: jasper.tolarba@fulbrightmail.org (J.E. Tolarba), hudag@just.edu.jo (H. Gharaibeh).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sctalk.2023.100194
Received 27 February 2023; Accepted 12 March 2023
2772-5693/© 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
J.E. Tolarba, H. Gharaibeh Science Talks 6 (2023) 100194

Table 3
School head ratings of attributes divided into 13 categories: programme graduate outcomes, programme graduate attributes, governance, accreditation, infrastructure, part-
nerships, curriculum design, core curriculum, curriculum partnerships, assessment of students, academic faculty, clinical faculty, professional development of faculty.
To a very To a relatively To a relatively To a very
low degree low degree high degree high degree

Programme Graduate Outcomes

1. Our graduates demonstrate established competencies in nursing practice 0.0% 7.1% 64.3% 28.6%
2. Our graduates demonstrate a sound understanding of the determinants of health 0.0% 0.0% 57.1% 42.9%
3. Our graduates meet regulatory body standards leading to professional licensure/registration as a nurse 0.0% 14.3% 14.3% 71.4%
4. Our graduates are regarded as professional degree holders 0.0% 0.0% 21.4% 78.6%
5. Our graduates are eligible for entry into advanced education programmes (e.g., Masters) 0.0% 0.0% 7.1% 92.9%
6. Our school employs methods to track the professional success and progression of education of each graduate 0.0% 42.9% 35.7% 21.4%
Programme Graduate Attributes
1. Our graduates are knowledgeable practitioners who adhere to the code of ethics and standards of the nursing 0.0% 0.0% 21.4% 78.6%
profession
2. Our school prepares graduates who demonstrate:
a. use of evidence in practice, 0.0% 14.3% 35.7% 50.0%
b. cultural competence, 0.0% 14.3% 28.6% 57.1%
c. the ability to practice in the health-care systems and population needs, 0.0% 0.0% 21.4% 78.6%
d. critical and analytical thinking, 0.0% 7.1% 50.0% 42.9%
e. ability to manage resources and practice safely and effectively, 0.0% 0.0% 35.7% 64.3%
f. ability to be effective client advocates and professional partners with other disciplines in health-care delivery, 0.0% 0.0% 64.3% 35.7%
h. leadership ability and continual professional development. 0.0% 0.0% 50.0% 50.0%
Governance
1. Our school defines and makes public our mission, vision, and objectives 0.0% 14.3% 21.4% 64.3%
2. Our school educates students through a nursing programme that meets the healthcare needs of the society 0.0% 0.0% 50.0% 50.0%
3. Our school clearly defines the educational and clinical outcomes of the nursing programme 0.0% 0.0% 35.7% 64.3%
4. Our school employs nursing faculty with relevant expertise in the subject matter and the ability to develop and 0.0% 7.1% 7.1% 85.8%
revise the programme
5. Our school uses a system of formative and summative assessment of the programme's educational and clinical 0.0% 14.3% 35.7% 50.0%
objectives and outcomes
6. Our school defines role descriptions for theoretical and clinical educators 0.0% 0.0% 42.9% 57.1%
Accreditation
1. Our nursing school is an integral part of a higher education institution that meets internal standards, 0.0% 14.3% 21.4% 64.3%
accreditation, and/or governing body requirements
2. Our school has criteria in place that meet accreditation standards for clinical practice components of the 0.0% 7.1% 50.0% 42.9%
programme, academic content, and the demonstration of professional outcomes
3. Our school and the nursing programme is recognized or accredited by credible, relevant professional and 0.0% 7.1% 35.8% 57.1%
academic bodies and re-accredited as required
Infrastructure
1. Our school has accessible, current, and relevant physical facilities including, but not limited to, classrooms, 0.0% 42.9% 21.4% 35.7%
clinical practice sites, information and communications technology, clinical simulation laboratories, and libraries
2. Our school has a system and policy in place that ensures the safety and welfare of students and faculty 0.0% 14.2% 42.9% 42.9%
3. Our school has professional support personnel and human resources to meet programme and student demand 0.0% 21.4% 35.7% 42.9%
4. Our school has a budget allocation and budget control that meets programme, faculty, and student needs 0.0% 57.2% 7.1% 35.7%
5. Our school has a system in place for student support services 7.2% 35.7% 21.4% 35.7%
Partnerships
1. Our nursing school demonstrates successful partnerships with academic institutions where their programme is 0.0% 35.7% 21.4% 42.9%
located, with other disciplines, with clinical practice sites, and with international partners
Curriculum Design
1. Our school designs curricula and delivers programmes about workforce planning flows and national and 0.0% 7.2% 35.7% 57.1%
international health-care policies
2. Our school plans and designs curricula to meet national and international education criteria, and professional and 0.0% 0.0% 21.4% 78.6%
regulatory requirements for practice
3. Our school provides classroom and clinical learning that delivers the knowledge and skills required to meet the 0.0% 0.0% 35.7% 64.3%
needs of the population
4. Our school establishes and demonstrates a balance between the theory and practice components of the 0.0% 14.3% 14.3% 71.4%
curriculum
5. Our school uses recognized approaches to teaching and learning including adult education, self-directed learning, 0.0% 21.4% 21.4% 57.2%
e-learning, and clinical simulation
6. Our school assures that classroom and clinical learning are based on established competencies and grounded in 0.0% 28.6% 21.4% 50.0%
the most current, reliable evidence
7. Our school enables the development of clinical reasoning, problem-solving and critical thinking in our nursing 0.0% 14.3% 50.0% 35.7%
programme
8. Our school conducts regular evaluations of curricula and clinical learning, and include student, client, 0.0% 21.4% 35.7% 42.9%
stakeholder, and partner feedback
9. Our nursing programme offer opportunities for multidisciplinary content and learning experiences 0.0% 35.7% 28.6% 35.7%
Core Curriculum
1. Our nursing curriculum provides core content that will enable our graduates to meet the established 0.0% 7.2% 35.7% 57.1%
competencies
2. Our nursing programme provides core content in nursing theory, practice, interventions, and scope of practice 0.0% 7.2% 35.7% 57.1%
3. Our nursing programme provides supervised clinical learning experiences that support nursing theory in diverse 0.0% 0.0% 42.9% 57.1%
settings
Curriculum Partnerships
1. Our school develops partnerships with other healthcare disciplines 0.0% 21.4% 50.0% 28.6%
2. Our school uses interprofessional teamwork approaches in their classrooms and clinical learning experiences 0.0% 35.7% 50.0% 14.3%
3. Our school has access to, and arrangements for, the clinical learning sites required for programme delivery 0.0% 14.2% 42.9% 42.9%

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J.E. Tolarba, H. Gharaibeh Science Talks 6 (2023) 100194

Table 3 (continued)

To a very To a relatively To a relatively To a very

low degree low degree high degree high degree

Assessment of Students
1. Our school assesses student learning, knowledge, and skill development throughout their programme, using 0.0% 7.2% 21.4% 71.4%
reliable evaluation methodologies
2. Our school uses a variety of methods to assess the subject matter being studied including, but not limited to, 0.0% 35.7% 7.2% 57.1%
student performance-based assessment and client/stakeholder feedback
3. Our school has a student retention system in place 7.2% 35.7% 21.4% 35.7%
Academic Faculty
1. Our head of the nursing programme is a nurse who holds a graduate degree, is educated, and experienced in 0.0% 0.0% 7.1% 92.9%
leadership and administration, and demonstrates knowledge as an educator
2. Our core academic faculty nurses demonstrate knowledge as educators and have a minimum of a bachelor's 0.0% 0.0% 21.4% 78.6%
degree, preferably with an advanced degree and clinical competence in their specialty area
3. Our guest lecturers in nursing programme hold a graduate degree and possess clinical and educational expertise 0.0% 7.1% 14.3% 78.6%
in their specialty
Clinical Faculty
1. Our clinical faculty are comprised of nurses and other healthcare professionals who hold a minimum of a 0.0% 7.1% 14.3% 78.6%
university degree and possess clinical and educational expertise in their specialty
2. Nurses with clinical expertise in the content area being taught are designated to supervise and teach students in 0.0% 14.3% 28.6% 57.1%
that clinical practice area
3. Our nursing school forms partnerships to secure a variety of qualified people to be clinical supervisors and 0.0% 0.0% 42.9% 57.1%
teachers
Professional Development of Faculty
1. Our school has a policy and a system in place that validates the updated clinical and educational expertise and 0.0% 14.3% 50.0% 35.7%
competency of faculty
2. Our school has a system in place that provides faculty with opportunities for development in teaching, 0.0% 35.7% 35.7% 28.6%
scholarship, practice, and professional activity
3. Our school has a system and policy in place and provide time and resources for competency development for 0.0% 35.7% 21.4% 42.9%
faculty
4. Our school has a policy and system in place for reward and recognition of staff in accordance with the 0.0% 28.6% 21.4% 50.0%
requirements for promotion and tenure

CRediT authorship contribution statement
Jasper Erwin L. Tolarba: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing –
original draft, Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing, Visualization.
Huda Gharaibeh: Resources, Supervision, Data curation, Project
administration.
Data availability
Data will be made available on request.
Acknowledgments
Funding
This study received specific research grant funding from The Binational
Fulbright Commission in Jordan, P.O. Box 850215, Amman 11185, Jordan
P.O. Box 850215, Amman 11185, Jordan.
The authors would like to acknowledge the active participation and
input of all school heads (deans and directors) from the different nursing
schools included in this study.
Special thanks to the President of JUST, deans and faculty members,
and staff for their generosity and hospitality during the Fulbright
researcher's stay during the duration of this study.
Finally, to The Fulbright Program, the Fulbright Commission in Jordan,
and the U.S. Embassy in Jordan that made this study possible.
Declaration of interests
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial inter-
ests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the
work reported in this paper.
Further reading
[1] R. Al Maaitah, D. Shokeh, Al-Ja'afreh, S., The nursing profession in Jordan: military
nurses leading the way, Online J. Issues Nurs. 24 (3) (2019).
[2] S. Homeyer, W. Hoffmann, P. Hingst, R.F. Oppermann, A. Dreier-Wolfgramm, Effects of
interprofessional education for medical and nursing students: enablers, barriers and ex-
pectations for optimizing future interprofessional collaboration - a qualitative study,
BMC Nurs. 17 (2018) 13, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-018-0279-x.
[3] High Health Council, National human resources for health strategy for Jordan
(2018–2022), https://extranet.who.int/countryplanningcycles/sites/default/files/plan-
ning_cycle_repository/Jordan/national_human_resources_for_health_strategy_2018-2022_
en.pdf, 2018.
[4] Higher Population Council, The national strategy for health sector in Jordan 2015–2019,
https://extranet.who.int/countryplanningcycles/sites/default/files/planning_cycle_
repository/jordan/jordan_national_health_sector_strategy_2015-2019_.pdf, 2015.
[5] Migration Policy Centre, Migration profile – Jordan, https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-
detail/-/publication/4d0399dd-ab00-11e6-aab7-01aa75ed71a1/language-en, 2016.
[6] National Committee for Human Resource Development, Education for prosperity:
Delivering Results – A National Strategy for Human Resource Development 2016–2025
Retrieved online at, http://www.mohe.gov.jo/en/Documents/National-HRD-Strategy.
pdf, 2015.
[7] World Health Organization, Global Standards for the Initial Education of Professional
Nurses and Midwives, Nursing & Midwifery Human Resources for Health, Geneva,
Switzerland, 2009.
Jasper Erwin Tolarba, is the Founder and CEO of APEX Global
Partners, an international nursing and allied health recruitment
firm that helps US health care institutions with nursing work-
force solutions. He is also part of the clinical team at Aya
Healthcare, the largest travel nursing agency in the United
States. His body of work focuses on implementation of
Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) globally, international nurse
migration and mobility, ethical nurse recruitment, and nursing
curriculum evaluation.
Dr. Tolarba was the first foreign educated nurse to become
Director at the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing
Schools (CGFNS International. Inc.) in its 49 years of existence.
During his 5 years tenure at CGFNS, he oversaw the develop-
ment of policies and standards related to foreign nurse appli-
cants migrating to the United States, New Zealand, and Canada. Prior to this, he was the
Director of Nursing at Tufts Medical Center (MA) as well as Patient Services Manager at Yale
New Haven Hospital (CT). He is an inaugural graduate of Doctor of Nursing Practice at Yale
University in Connecticut in2015, a Sister Remy Junio Scholar for his Masters of Science in
Nursing at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, a University Scholar for his Masters in
Education and Bachelors of Science in Nursing at Bicol University, Philippines. He is currently
completing his second Doctorate at Teachers College Columbia University in New York.
Dr. Tolarba is a 2019–2020 Fulbright Fellow by the US Fulbright Commission, Board
Certified as a Global Nurse Consultant (CGNC) by the International Council of Nurses and
CGFNS, a Fellow of the American Healthcare Executives (FACHE), and newly inducted Fellow
of the American Academy of Nurses (FAAN).

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J.E. Tolarba, H. Gharaibeh Science Talks 6 (2023) 100194

Dr. Huda Gharaibeh is a Full Professor at Jordan University of

Science and Technology (JUST). She has been the Acting Dean
of JUST Faculty of Nursing from September 2017 to September
2021. Prior to this role, she was the Deputy Head of the Depart-
ment of Community Health and Mental Health Nursing
(2004–2005), Department of Maternal and Child Nursing
(2005–2012), and Department of Midwifery (2008–2012).
In her decades of experience in academic setting, she has
taught undergraduate and graduate courses in Community
Health Nursing, Neonatal Critical Care Nursing, Child Health
Nursing, Acute Care Pediatric Nursing (Theory and Clinical),
Theoretical Foundations of Nursing, and Nursing Research.
Her scholarship includes numerous published articles in peer
reviewed journals nationally and internationally.