Ambitions and Responsibilities: A Textual Analysis of the Norwegian National Curriculum Regulations for Nursing Education

Abstract

Society assigns professional educational programs the responsibility to aid students in learning and dedicate expert knowledge to furthering the well-being of citizens. This demand calls for addressing the how educational policies prioritize learning professionals' responsibility. Inspired by the theory of Jacques Derrida, we deconstruct the national curriculum text for Norwegian nursing education. Our findings indicate that, despite highlighting ethics and a holistic view on human beings, “hard evidence-based facts” remain the main navigation tool for responsible behavior. Additionally, by introducing “operational preparedness” as a learning goal, the texts partly renounce the obligation to educate for essential dimensions of responsibility by distributing the obligation to the future employer and the individual student.

The authors thank Ciaran Sugrue and Molly Sutphen for their critical responses to earlier drafts of this article.