Introduction
Nursing is a dynamic professional discipline with constant change; Practicing in such changing professional context demands highly competent, and safe care from nurses. With increasing advancement in technology, challenges of more complex health care needs of a multi-cultural, diverse and aging population. Returning to school to meet these challenges is pertinent, hence transitioning from Registered Nurse (RN) to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). Numerous studies have shown that nurses with bachelor degree in nursing are better bedside nurses because of knowledge that been acquired through complication of the program. To ensure the delivery of evidence-based and patient-centered care nurses have to embrace both professional …show more content…
One nurse stated “returning to school was a gift to myself”. Another nurse explained, “I was told that in order to keep my position as a charge nurse, I will need a BSN degree with 5 years.” But all the nurses agreed that their main reason for pursuing BSN was their love of knowledge. The second theme, Tentative Beginning, addressed the feeling of the nurses as they started the RN-BSN program. Some started by taking one course initially and others were not comfortable sitting in the same classroom with much younger traditional students. They maintained that classroom environment was significant and made it less challenging to learn when classmates were of similar age. The third theme, Cornerstone Courses, dealt with courses the nurses were taking in the program which included research, theory, leadership and community health. The nurses saw research as a catalyst for change in the nursing profession. The theory and leadership courses made the nurses see themselves as professionals and to acquire the leadership skills that was applicable to different situations at work. While through the community health course broadened their perception about care in the …show more content…
The sixth theme, Confronting and Conquering Challenges, explored the challenges faced by the RNs as the juggled home, school and work. They nurses were unanimous about their classmates being their strongest support system, “we kept each other going.” Some expressed the lack of support from their coworkers as some were threatened by the participant going back to school.
The seventh theme, Envisioning the Whole, examined how nurses saw themselves at the completion of the BSN. Almost all endorsed “seeing the whole picture,” and a larger context in patient care. One nurse stated, “you start putting things together on a different level when you go through the program. You see their families and their culture.”
Theme eight, Recreating Everyday Practice, addressed how the nurses believed that the program not only benefitted them personally but also patients. That the program prepared them to mentally and physically give quality care to patient. Implications to