Faculty Perspectives on Factors Promoting Effective RN to BSN Completion Programs

Renee Hoeksel; Suzanne Sikma; Mary Baroni

doi:doi:10.11648/j.edu.20200906.16

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Faculty Perspectives on Factors Promoting Effective RN to BSN Completion Programs

Renee Hoeksel, Suzanne Sikma, Mary Baroni

Published in Education Journal (Volume 9, Issue 6)

Received: 8 December 2020 Accepted: 16 December 2020 Published: 31 December 2020

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Abstract

The need for a more highly educated nursing workforce has been well established. The need for BSN-prepared nurses continues to escalate and more registered nurse to bachelor of science in nursing (RN to BSN) programs are approved in Washington State every year. RN to BSN completion programs provide an efficient bridge for diploma and associate degree (ADN) nurses to progress academically and advance their careers. This multi-method, descriptive study was designed to identify common elements and promising practices for curricular and program design across seven of the nine RN to BSN programs in the state of Washington. Program directors compiled institutional data and a confidential online survey was sent to faculty who were teaching in each program. The University of Washington School of Social Work Survey Research Division (SRD) was contracted to administer the online surveys. SPSS was utilized for quantitative data analysis, while the investigative team used standard content analysis techniques for the qualitative items. Sixty-two of the 82 faculty surveys were returned (75.6%) and all seven programs provided extensive institutional data. This report explains mainly the faculty responses, while noting areas for immediate improvement including the statewide failure to gather important student demographic data like race and ethnicity. Given the wide diversity of this student population, and the profession’s drive to diversify the workforce, failure to carefully monitor these data needs action. Characteristics of the wide range in student readiness for BSN-level coursework and rigors of work/life balance, along with the dynamic nature of RN to BSN education, were consistently brought forward by faculty, independent of years of teaching experience.

Published in	Education Journal (Volume 9, Issue 6)
DOI	10.11648/j.edu.20200906.16
Page(s)	195-202
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Academic Progression, RN to BSN Completion, Nursing Faculty

References

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[2]	AACN. Fact Sheet: Degree Completion Programs for Registered Nurses: RN to Master’s Degree and RN to Baccalaureate Programs. Retrieved from https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/News/Factsheets/Degree-Completion-Factsheet.pdf. (2019).
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[9]	Kutney-Lee, A., Sloane, D., and Aiken, L. (2013). An increase in the number of nurses with baccalaureate degrees is linked to lower rates of post-surgery mortality. Health Affairs, 32 (3), 579-586.
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[13]	Phillips, T., and Evans, J. (2017). RN to BSN transition: A concept analysis. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 33(2), 79-85.
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[15]	Washington Center for Nursing (2012-2016). Academic Progression in Nursing Grant ($600,000) from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Retrieved from https://rwjf.org and https://www.academicprogression.org/learning_process/apingrantprojects/washington on (2016).
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[17]	Babbo, G., Fought, S., Holk, M., Mulligan, A.M., & Perrone, C. (2013). RN-to-BSN programs in the community college setting: Challenges and successes. Journal of Nursing Education, 52 (2), 85-90.
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APA Style

Renee Hoeksel, Suzanne Sikma, Mary Baroni. (2020). Faculty Perspectives on Factors Promoting Effective RN to BSN Completion Programs. Education Journal, 9(6), 195-202. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20200906.16

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ACS Style

Renee Hoeksel; Suzanne Sikma; Mary Baroni. Faculty Perspectives on Factors Promoting Effective RN to BSN Completion Programs. Educ. J. 2020, 9(6), 195-202. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20200906.16

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AMA Style

Renee Hoeksel, Suzanne Sikma, Mary Baroni. Faculty Perspectives on Factors Promoting Effective RN to BSN Completion Programs. Educ J. 2020;9(6):195-202. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20200906.16

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@article{10.11648/j.edu.20200906.16,
  author = {Renee Hoeksel and Suzanne Sikma and Mary Baroni},
  title = {Faculty Perspectives on Factors Promoting Effective RN to BSN Completion Programs},
  journal = {Education Journal},
  volume = {9},
  number = {6},
  pages = {195-202},
  doi = {10.11648/j.edu.20200906.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20200906.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.edu.20200906.16},
  abstract = {The need for a more highly educated nursing workforce has been well established. The need for BSN-prepared nurses continues to escalate and more registered nurse to bachelor of science in nursing (RN to BSN) programs are approved in Washington State every year. RN to BSN completion programs provide an efficient bridge for diploma and associate degree (ADN) nurses to progress academically and advance their careers. This multi-method, descriptive study was designed to identify common elements and promising practices for curricular and program design across seven of the nine RN to BSN programs in the state of Washington. Program directors compiled institutional data and a confidential online survey was sent to faculty who were teaching in each program. The University of Washington School of Social Work Survey Research Division (SRD) was contracted to administer the online surveys. SPSS was utilized for quantitative data analysis, while the investigative team used standard content analysis techniques for the qualitative items. Sixty-two of the 82 faculty surveys were returned (75.6%) and all seven programs provided extensive institutional data. This report explains mainly the faculty responses, while noting areas for immediate improvement including the statewide failure to gather important student demographic data like race and ethnicity. Given the wide diversity of this student population, and the profession’s drive to diversify the workforce, failure to carefully monitor these data needs action. Characteristics of the wide range in student readiness for BSN-level coursework and rigors of work/life balance, along with the dynamic nature of RN to BSN education, were consistently brought forward by faculty, independent of years of teaching experience.},
 year = {2020}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Faculty Perspectives on Factors Promoting Effective RN to BSN Completion Programs
AU  - Renee Hoeksel
AU  - Suzanne Sikma
AU  - Mary Baroni
Y1  - 2020/12/31
PY  - 2020
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DO  - 10.11648/j.edu.20200906.16
T2  - Education Journal
JF  - Education Journal
JO  - Education Journal
SP  - 195
EP  - 202
PB  - Science Publishing Group
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AB  - The need for a more highly educated nursing workforce has been well established. The need for BSN-prepared nurses continues to escalate and more registered nurse to bachelor of science in nursing (RN to BSN) programs are approved in Washington State every year. RN to BSN completion programs provide an efficient bridge for diploma and associate degree (ADN) nurses to progress academically and advance their careers. This multi-method, descriptive study was designed to identify common elements and promising practices for curricular and program design across seven of the nine RN to BSN programs in the state of Washington. Program directors compiled institutional data and a confidential online survey was sent to faculty who were teaching in each program. The University of Washington School of Social Work Survey Research Division (SRD) was contracted to administer the online surveys. SPSS was utilized for quantitative data analysis, while the investigative team used standard content analysis techniques for the qualitative items. Sixty-two of the 82 faculty surveys were returned (75.6%) and all seven programs provided extensive institutional data. This report explains mainly the faculty responses, while noting areas for immediate improvement including the statewide failure to gather important student demographic data like race and ethnicity. Given the wide diversity of this student population, and the profession’s drive to diversify the workforce, failure to carefully monitor these data needs action. Characteristics of the wide range in student readiness for BSN-level coursework and rigors of work/life balance, along with the dynamic nature of RN to BSN education, were consistently brought forward by faculty, independent of years of teaching experience.
VL  - 9
IS  - 6
ER  -

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Author Information

Renee Hoeksel

College of Nursing, Washington State University, Vancouver, USA
Suzanne Sikma

Retired from School of Nursing & Health Studies, University of Washington, Bothell, USA
Mary Baroni

Retired from School of Nursing & Health Studies, University of Washington, Bothell, USA

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APA Style

Renee Hoeksel, Suzanne Sikma, Mary Baroni. (2020). Faculty Perspectives on Factors Promoting Effective RN to BSN Completion Programs. Education Journal, 9(6), 195-202. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20200906.16

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ACS Style

Renee Hoeksel; Suzanne Sikma; Mary Baroni. Faculty Perspectives on Factors Promoting Effective RN to BSN Completion Programs. Educ. J. 2020, 9(6), 195-202. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20200906.16

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AMA Style

Renee Hoeksel, Suzanne Sikma, Mary Baroni. Faculty Perspectives on Factors Promoting Effective RN to BSN Completion Programs. Educ J. 2020;9(6):195-202. doi: 10.11648/j.edu.20200906.16

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.edu.20200906.16,
  author = {Renee Hoeksel and Suzanne Sikma and Mary Baroni},
  title = {Faculty Perspectives on Factors Promoting Effective RN to BSN Completion Programs},
  journal = {Education Journal},
  volume = {9},
  number = {6},
  pages = {195-202},
  doi = {10.11648/j.edu.20200906.16},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20200906.16},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.edu.20200906.16},
  abstract = {The need for a more highly educated nursing workforce has been well established. The need for BSN-prepared nurses continues to escalate and more registered nurse to bachelor of science in nursing (RN to BSN) programs are approved in Washington State every year. RN to BSN completion programs provide an efficient bridge for diploma and associate degree (ADN) nurses to progress academically and advance their careers. This multi-method, descriptive study was designed to identify common elements and promising practices for curricular and program design across seven of the nine RN to BSN programs in the state of Washington. Program directors compiled institutional data and a confidential online survey was sent to faculty who were teaching in each program. The University of Washington School of Social Work Survey Research Division (SRD) was contracted to administer the online surveys. SPSS was utilized for quantitative data analysis, while the investigative team used standard content analysis techniques for the qualitative items. Sixty-two of the 82 faculty surveys were returned (75.6%) and all seven programs provided extensive institutional data. This report explains mainly the faculty responses, while noting areas for immediate improvement including the statewide failure to gather important student demographic data like race and ethnicity. Given the wide diversity of this student population, and the profession’s drive to diversify the workforce, failure to carefully monitor these data needs action. Characteristics of the wide range in student readiness for BSN-level coursework and rigors of work/life balance, along with the dynamic nature of RN to BSN education, were consistently brought forward by faculty, independent of years of teaching experience.},
 year = {2020}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Faculty Perspectives on Factors Promoting Effective RN to BSN Completion Programs
AU  - Renee Hoeksel
AU  - Suzanne Sikma
AU  - Mary Baroni
Y1  - 2020/12/31
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20200906.16
DO  - 10.11648/j.edu.20200906.16
T2  - Education Journal
JF  - Education Journal
JO  - Education Journal
SP  - 195
EP  - 202
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2327-2619
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20200906.16
AB  - The need for a more highly educated nursing workforce has been well established. The need for BSN-prepared nurses continues to escalate and more registered nurse to bachelor of science in nursing (RN to BSN) programs are approved in Washington State every year. RN to BSN completion programs provide an efficient bridge for diploma and associate degree (ADN) nurses to progress academically and advance their careers. This multi-method, descriptive study was designed to identify common elements and promising practices for curricular and program design across seven of the nine RN to BSN programs in the state of Washington. Program directors compiled institutional data and a confidential online survey was sent to faculty who were teaching in each program. The University of Washington School of Social Work Survey Research Division (SRD) was contracted to administer the online surveys. SPSS was utilized for quantitative data analysis, while the investigative team used standard content analysis techniques for the qualitative items. Sixty-two of the 82 faculty surveys were returned (75.6%) and all seven programs provided extensive institutional data. This report explains mainly the faculty responses, while noting areas for immediate improvement including the statewide failure to gather important student demographic data like race and ethnicity. Given the wide diversity of this student population, and the profession’s drive to diversify the workforce, failure to carefully monitor these data needs action. Characteristics of the wide range in student readiness for BSN-level coursework and rigors of work/life balance, along with the dynamic nature of RN to BSN education, were consistently brought forward by faculty, independent of years of teaching experience.
VL  - 9
IS  - 6
ER  -

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