LAHORE: The University of Health Sciences (UHS) has launched a new skill-based curriculum for the four-year BS nursing programme, titled COMPASS - an acronym for Competency-based, Outcome-based, Multicultural, Patient-centered, Assessment, Skills, and Safety.

The curriculum will come into effect this year across all UHS-affiliated nursing colleges throughout Punjab.

Approved in a meeting of the UHS Board of Studies in Nursing chaired by Vice Chancellor Prof Dr. Ahsan Waheed Rathore, the COMPASS curriculum marks a significant shift from traditional instruction to a block-based, competency-driven training model. The new version of the curriculum is a joint effort of UHS nursing and medical education departments.

One of the key highlights is the doubling of clinical credit hours from 35 to 54. Under the new structure, nursing students will spend three days a week in classrooms and three days in hospitals.

Clinical rotations will begin from the first year, with students working in three alternating shifts to gain maximum exposure to patient care and inter-professional collaboration.

“For the first time in Pakistan, cultural competency has been embedded into the nursing curriculum,” said Prof Rathore.

“We are equipping our students with over 200 clinical skills and 72 carefully designed courses to ensure they are not only technically sound but also culturally aware and globally prepared.”

He said the COMPASS model integrates theory and clinical practice with an emphasis on real-world application, simulation-based training, and patient-centered care. Students will be taught in a spiral format across eight semesters, with course content increasing in complexity as they progress.

To maintain academic quality and ensure effective implementation, UHS will conduct unannounced monitoring visits to all affiliated colleges each semester.

These visits will assess compliance with clinical rotation schedules, class timetables, logbooks, and student-faculty feedback.

He said the faculty development is a critical pillar of this transformation.

“From June 1 to 15, we will conduct intensive workshops to train nursing educators in delivering the new curriculum effectively,” the UHS VC concluded.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2025