In late December, 75 seniors graduated from the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 traditional bachelor of science in nursing program. All but three or four of them had secured jobs prior to Commencement.
Dr. Melinda Oberleitner, associate dean of the College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions, said those employment numbers reflect an increasing demand for well-prepared nurses who hold bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degrees.
小蝌蚪APP淢any facilities in our area, in our region and across the country are looking to hire baccalaureate-prepared nurses,小蝌蚪APP she said.
Research shows that nurses who receive bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚-level preparation have better patient outcomes than nurses who hold associate degrees, including lower mortality and failure-to-rescue rates, Oberleitner said.
In 2010, the Institute of Medicine issued a report that calls for 80 percent of the nursing workforce to hold at least a bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degree by 2020.
According to an AACN report, 小蝌蚪APP淭he Impact of Education on Nursing Practice,小蝌蚪APP BSN nurses are prized for their skills in critical thinking, leadership, case management, and health promotion and for their ability to practice across a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings.小蝌蚪APP
Oberleitner said the College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions has 小蝌蚪APP渆valuation data from our alumni, who report that they feel well prepared, and from the employers of our graduates, who agree that our graduates are well prepared. We collect those data every spring.小蝌蚪APP
Over the past 25 years, UL Lafayette nursing graduates have achieved first-time pass rates for the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses that, consistently, far exceed national and state averages.
In November, the baccalaureate program in UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions earned continued accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education 小蝌蚪APP without any recommendations for improvement. So did its master of science in nursing, which is offered through the Intercollegiate Consortium for a Master of Science in Nursing.
In 2012, UL Lafayette implemented an online Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program. The program enables registered nurses who hold associate degrees to earn BSN degrees, sometimes at an accelerated pace.
Enrollment for the next RN to BSN session, which begins later this month, has reached about 500. 小蝌蚪APP淭hat tells you that nurses themselves who hold associate degrees know that they小蝌蚪APP檝e got to continue their education for preferential hiring and for career mobility,小蝌蚪APP Oberleitner said.
National surveys have shown that a registered nurse with a bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degree can earn about 10 percent more than a nurse who holds an associate degree. Recent research has also indicated that better-educated nurses have higher levels of job satisfaction.
Oberleitner said the demand for nurses with bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degrees 小蝌蚪APP and higher degrees 小蝌蚪APP is expected to increase. She urges high school students who have good grades, scored well on the ACT test, and are considering nursing as a profession, to aim for a bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degree first, rather than an associate degree.
小蝌蚪APP淥btaining an associate小蝌蚪APP檚 degree in nursing delays progression in the field, educationally as well as for many employment prospects,小蝌蚪APP she said.
Some hospitals have achieved the designation of 小蝌蚪APP淢agnet facilities小蝌蚪APP by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, for example. They are known for 小蝌蚪APP渜uality patient care, nursing excellence and innovations in professional nursing practice,小蝌蚪APP according to the ANCC. There are no Magnet hospitals in Lafayette, but there are some in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. To maintain a 小蝌蚪APP淢agnet facility小蝌蚪APP designation, 80 percent of a hospital小蝌蚪APP檚 direct care nurses must be BSN-prepared by 2020, which mirrors the IOM recommendations.
小蝌蚪APP淵ou can小蝌蚪APP檛 become a manager in a Magnet hospital unless you have a baccalaureate or graduate degree,小蝌蚪APP Oberleitner said. Chief nursing officers at Magnet facilities are required to have a graduate degree; if that graduate degree isn小蝌蚪APP檛 in nursing, a CNO must have a bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degree or doctorate in nursing.
Also, the Affordable Care Act is expected to increase the demand for nurse practitioners. Typically, nurse practitioners must have at least bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 and master小蝌蚪APP檚 degrees.