Abstract:

Education of nurses from one level to another is a global phenomenon that is increasing in visibility, in part driven by international shortages in qualified healthcare providers at all levels. In this presentation, nursing bridging education is discussed. This model of educational innovation allows diploma prepared Registered Practical Nurses to receive credit for past education and practice, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing (BScN) and the opportunity to write the Canadian exam to become a Registered Nurse. Education progression through this type of program allows learners to complete their degree much more quickly than with a traditional BScN degree. However, in the absence of solid evaluative data about the efficacy of this type of nursing educational model, these programs may be viewed with suspicion. In some cases, they are even referred to disparagingly as a ‘backdoor’ route to becoming a Registered Nurse. This presentation provides an overview of an expanded, six-partner evaluation of RPN-to-BScN bridging education in Ontario, Canada. This study, which included fully half the bridging programs in Ontario, used a mixed-method design and collected data on student and faculty perceptions of barriers, facilitators, and outcomes of this type of educational innovation across a variety of program offerings. Qualitative analysis of student perceptions of the impact of bridging education on personal and professional levels was explored. Quantitative analysis of student performance and behaviours was evaluated, including indicators such as transfer credit, time to program completion, attrition/retention rates, and average years out between the completion of a Practical Nursing diploma and the start of a bridging program. Academic performance of nursing bridging students compared to health sciences students was also analyzed. This presentation will provide an overview of these finding and discuss the merits and challenges of creating meaningful lifelong learning opportunities for nurses that lead to both enhanced professional development for individual nurses and overall advancement of the nursing profession. Finally, the systemic barriers to innovative models of nursing education will be discussed.

Keywords:

Nursing, bridging education, program evaluation, student experience.