Online nursing education has been evolving at a rapid pace as it is recognized as offering the flexibility needed for practicing associate degree (ADN) and diploma prepared Registered Nurses to return to school to earn their BSN. At the same time, there is a paradigm shift in how nursing education is delivered. The focus has shifted from content…

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), which defines the expectations of a new baccalaureate-prepared nurse, includes a liberal education as a desired outcome for bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) graduates. A liberal education is thought to provide the professional nurse with the skills needed to practice nursing, including…

Second degree learners are attending associate (ADN), accelerated baccalaureate (BSN), and entry level masters (ELM) degree nursing programs. There is limited data related to the socio-demographic characteristics and graduation success rates of students attending accelerated BSN or ELM programs and no data related to second-degree learners…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the relationship between six instructional delivery methods defined by Walker and Fraser (2005) in the Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (DELES) and the satisfaction levels of registered nurses enrolled in online bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree completion programs.…

This research investigated admission criteria of baccalaureate nursing students related to their success in a multi-state sample of peer universities in the United States. The researcher used mixed methods to collect data that were analyzed using descriptive and phenomenological approaches. The sample of the study was chairpersons from peer…

Curriculum reform is a topic seen in research for decades, and nursing education has not been excluded in this call for reform (Benner, Sutphen, Leonard, & Day, 2009; Diekelmann, Ironside, & Gunn, 2005; Dracup, 2011). The issue in nursing education relates to the lack of guidance in how to proceed with this radical change process (Benner,…

The investigated research problem was the need to identify the facilitators and barriers to competent academic writing by examining writing self-efficacy and academic writing experiences of entry-level BSN students. The study's participants included entry-level bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) students in a Midwestern state. The mixed methods…

The Missouri Board of Nursing approves 34 practical, 35 associate degree, one diploma, and 21 baccalaureate degree nursing programs. Although the Board is responsible for all nursing programs leading to initial licensure, its recognition by the U.S. Department of Education applies only to the 57 professional nursing programs eligible for Federal…

For the past 10 years, a growing number of community colleges in the US have begun to offer baccalaureate degrees across a range of targeted programmes including business, education, and nursing. This study examines whether community college baccalaureate policies result in an increased production of nurses--currently a policy priority in nearly…

An important goal of nursing education is to produce graduates who are problem solvers and competent clinical practitioners able to practice in a very complicated health care environment; reflection and inquiry are two ways to accomplish this goal. This qualitative study explored how eight senior baccalaureate nursing students developed in their…

Objective: Student-faculty trust and related concept characteristics have been shown to be factors associated with successful student learning. Research investigating the role of trust in communications and education has been conducted with students in other disciplines but not with nursing students. The purpose of the research is to investigate…

Background. The demands of the current health-care system support the need for more nurses to be prepared at the bachelor's level (American Association of the Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2007). However, only 28% of the registered nurse (RN) population in Florida holds a bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN), which may be the result of increased…

Developing decision-making skills is essential in education in order to be a competent nurse. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the perceptions of clinical decision-making skills of students enrolled in accelerated and basic baccalaureate nursing programs. A comparative descriptive research design was used for this study.…

The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to understand the experiences of RN to BSN graduates within their educational experience and their subsequent reintegration into professional practice. The goal of the study was to elucidate the experiences of nurses as they returned for a baccalaureate degree in order to more fully…

This article presents this year's Top 100 institutions that conferred the most bachelor's degrees to students of color in academic year 2009-2010. It shows the total number of bachelor's degrees for a specific minority group or for total minorities, with subtotals for women and men in that ethnic group. The author also includes the prior year…