A Community College's Perspective on the RIBN Initiative

The 2017 Environmental Scan

At an upper-division university, students entering the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program were graduated from Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) programs or graduated from hospital-based (diploma) programs. The admissions criteria for both groups of students were identical with one exception. Diploma nurses were required to pass three ACT Proficiency Examination Program (PEP) tests with a standard score of at least 45. Thus, the hospital-based graduates, although awarded credit to increment their transfer hour credential, had also validated their prerequisite for some of the advanced nursing curriculum. Past research was confirmed by this inquiry; the ensuing academic success of the diploma nurses was significantly higher than that of their ADN peers. Regarding retention, the rate for hospital-based graduates was significantly higher than that for those graduated from junior and community colleges. Thus, the PEP credit-by-examination testing program to place diploma nurses into the BSN program at an upper division university was found to be successful by two criteria: academic success and retention.

Who's uncivil to who? Perceptions of incivility in pre-licensure nursing programs.

IntroductionDespite the important gains of using case studies to engage and enhance student learning, research documenting student satisfaction of using online case studies is limited, especially a comparison between Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs. Comparisons in perception of enhanced learning using online case-based studies were explored between students enrolled in ADN and BSN programs during medical-surgical courses as case-based learning can be used to support clinical decision making when clinical placements are lacking.MethodsA survey was administered during medical-surgical classes for 110 BSN students and 79 ADN students. Questions were asked about enhanced learning, individual case satisfaction, and overall satisfaction using online case studies. Using descriptive statistics and t-test analyses, results showed that ADN student's perceptions of the exercises were more positive, useful, and more applicable to education. However, no difference in enhanced learning was observed between the ADN and BSN groups.ConclusionRegardless of BSN or ADN student status, all nursing students expect their education to relate to both theory and practice in the clinical setting. Online case studies enhance and emphasize critical thinking to adapt to constantly changing, complex situations congruent with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials Domain 1: knowledge for nursing practice and Domain 2: person-centered care.

The current study examined differences in senior nursing students' knowledge, attitudes, and perceived competency about older adults, based on enrollment in Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), and Practical Nursing (PN) programs offering gerontological nursing curricula content. A nonexperimental, descriptive survey design was used. A total of 145 senior nursing students from five pre-licensure programs in Florida completed a 92-item survey incorporating the Palmore Facts on Aging Quiz 2, Kogan's Attitudes Toward Old People Scale, and the Hartford Geriatric Nurse Competency Tool. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA), multivariate ANOVA, and Pearson correlation. Students demonstrated limited knowledge about older adults but reported high perceived competency. A statistically significant difference in knowledge was found between program types, with PN students scoring highest. A moderate positive correlation existed between knowledge and attitudes. No significant differences were found for attitudes or perceived competency by program. The current study underscores the need to systematically design an evidence-based curriculum inclusive of gerontological nursing content across BSN, ADN, and PN programs to prepare the future nursing workforce to care for older adults.

Encouraging associate degree nursing students to pursue a bachelor of science in nursing: The faculty role

The study measured the awareness and use of metacognitive reading strategies among English as a foreign language (EFL) students at a medical college in Kuwait. The college offers a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and a two-year Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN). Data collection involved distributing the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategy Inventory (MARSI) online through Google Forms to a sample of 80 students (Mokhtari & Reichard, 2002). Data were analyzed for strategy use, variations in strategy use between the BSN and ADN students, and the most and the least frequently-used strategies by the participating students. Microsoft Excel software generated the means, percentages, rankings, and standard deviations of strategy use. Findings indicated that the participating students were overall highly aware of metacognitive reading strategies. Moreover, the results showed that while the participating students were high users of problem-solving and global strategies, they were medium users of support strategies. The results also indicated that years of studying English showed a possible impact on the variations in strategy use between the participating students at the BSN and ADN programs. Finally, the analysis revealed that while the most frequently-used strategies among the participants were problem-solving strategies followed by global strategies, the least frequently-used strategies were support strategies. Implications for pedagogy included the need for English teachers to first identify their students’ awareness of metacognitive reading strategies. Second, English teachers can implement evidence-based instruction to maximize the use of students’ metacognitive reading strategies.

Transitioning Associate Degree in Nursing Students to the Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Beyond: A Mandate for Academic Partnerships

Scaling Up to Meet the IOM Recommendations (80% BSN by 2020): Sustaining Quality With Growth

Care provided by Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)-prepared Registered Nurses (RNs) has been shown to lead to more positive patient outcomes compared to care provided by non-BSN-prepared RNs. A Fall 2021 study explored barriers of requiring a BSN degree of staff nurses from the perspective of hospital and long-term care facility nurse leaders in Tennessee (N = 89), strategies to increase the number of nurses with BSNs, and association between leadership goals and the number of BSN-prepared nurses in the facilities. Seven barriers to requiring the BSN and nine strategies to increase BSNs were identified. Significant association was found between having plans to increase the number of BSN nurses and the percentage of nurses in the facility with BSN degrees.

Regionally Increasing Baccalaureate-Prepared Nurses: Development of the RIBN Model

At an upper division university, students entering the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program were graduated from Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) programs or graduated from hospital-based (diploma) programs. The admission criteria for the two groups of students were almost identical. The exception was that the diploma nurses were required to pass three ACT Proficiency Examination Program (PEP) tests with a standard score of 45 or more. The cumulative grade point averages (CGPAs) of the two groups of students at the upper division institution were compared. The CGPA of the diploma nurses was significantly higher than that of their ADN peers. Thus, the PEP credit-by-examination testing model was found to be an effective alternative to determine the advanced standing of students graduated from hospital-based nursing programs who were entering a BSN program at an upper division university.

Rural-urban differences in educational attainment among registered nurses: Implications for achieving an 80% BSN workforce.

Student-Centered Curricular Revisions to Facilitate Transition from Associate Degree in Nursing to Bachelor of Science in Nursing Education

This article describes an innovative learning program, designed for associate degree nurse (ADN) graduates, developed at the visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY) to expand its hiring pool of potential applicants to home health care nursing positions. The program, “Transitions to Home Health Care,” provides a strong emphasis on independent judgment, assessment skills, and collaboration with other professions and resources outside the home health care agency. In view of the expanding number of ADN graduates and the increasing competition for a limited number of new bachelor of science in nursing (BSN), VNSNY developed and is testing a model that combines a specially designed one-year didactic educational course and a clinical practice internship program to prepare new ADN graduates to work in the home health care field at a level more comparable to that of BSN graduates. To date, VNSNY has had preliminary success with this new approach.