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Background: In prelicensure nursing education, there is a need to better understand the roles that simulation and traditional clinical instruction play in the development of clinical competence. Method: A prospective cohort study was conducted across four prelicensure nursing programs. Four undergraduate nursing programs tested an intervention cohort with a redesign of the use of simulation, a redistribution of clinical hours, and an implementation of these new educational approaches into simulation experiences. Results: The final sample consisted of 271 control students and 315 intervention students who were assessed at the end of five clinical courses. There was no significant difference between the control and intervention groups on licensure examination pass rates and no uniform differences in clinical competency. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the redistribution of clinical hours from traditional to simulation did not affect clinical competency or licensure examination results. Such redistributions have the potential to yield comparable results. These findings suggest that the redistribution of clinical hours from traditional to simulation did not affect clinical competency or licensure examination results. Such redistributions have the potential to yield comparable results. [[J Nurs Educ. 2019;58(10):561–568.] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To achieve the growth of RN-to-Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs in the face of ongoing faculty shortages, many large online RN-to-BSN programs have embraced the use of academic coaches to assist with course delivery. Method: An associational analysis of data collected from academic coaches and their student and faculty evaluators was performed on a sample of academic coaches who were teaching students enrolled in a large online RN-to-BSN program. Results: The multilevel data consisted of 94 coaches who taught in 166 courses. Evaluation data from 12,004 students were captured and connected to each academic coach and course. Overall, the RN-to-BSN coaches received favorable ratings by both instructors and students alike. Conclusion: The use of academic coaches can help to expand capacity while delivering a high-quality educational experience. These results indicate that satisfaction with academic coaches has the potential to be very high, from both the students' and the faculty members' perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a need to better understand the demographic and academic characteristics of individuals enrolled in online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) programs. Method: This article reports a retrospective analysis of 4,079 students enrolled in one of three MSN programs: family nurse practitioner (FNP), nurse educator, and nursing administration. Demographic characteristics (i.e., gender, race, age) and academic variables (i.e., academic load, past undergraduate/graduate enrollment at the university) were examined for all enrollees. Results: Students in the MSN programs were younger than the national mean age for RNs, were primarily White, and were enrolled part time. The sample was composed of a disproportionately higher percentage of students from ethnic minority backgrounds than national RN profiles. Conclusion: Study implications indicate that understanding the commonalities, differences, and educational experiences of students in on-campus and online MSN programs is important. The finding that almost 90% of online graduate nursing students enroll as part time has significant financial, family, and career implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To meet the increasing demand for RNs to further their education, many colleges of nursing have developed RN-to-baccalaureate nursing (BSN) programs, many of which are delivered online. A better understanding of the demographic and academic characteristics and outcomes of individuals enrolled in online RN-to-BSN programs is needed. Method: This article reports a retrospective predictive analysis of 9,567 students enrolled in an online RN-to-BSN program. Outcome variables examined were graduation, timely graduation, and discontinuation. Results: Younger students who received financial aid and had a previous baccalaureate degree reflected the demographic profile associated with the highest likelihood of graduating and graduating sooner. Fewer failed and withdrawn courses also predicted graduation and retention. Conclusion: Implications of these findings are that when online programs are designed with persistence in mind, progression to graduation in such programs can be consistent with national benchmarks. The creation of an early identification process for at-risk students would have the potential to enhance educational outcomes even further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]