MULTI-PARTNER EXAMINATION OF NURSING BRIDGING EDUCATION IN ONTARIO

1. MULTI-PARTNER EXAMINATION OF NURSING BRIDGING EDUCATION IN ONTARIO Coffey, S., Lindsay, G., Vanderlee, R., Anyinam, C., Woodend, K., Cochrane, M., Cummings, K., Graham, L., Macdonald, K., Mairs, S., Sproul, S., Zitzelsberger, H., Diniz, D., Garrity, M.K.

2. CONTEXT: NURSING IN ONTARIO • 3 types of nurses in Ontario • RN, RPN, RN(EC) • 2005: BScN entry-to-practice in Ontario • National and international variability • 30 year struggle (debate still surfaces) • Virtually all Ontario nursing programs offered as part of University-College collaborative partnerships

3. BACKGROUND: RPN-to-BScN PROGRAMS • Bridging/accelerated nursing programs are the most rapidly growing educational offerings in North America • 6 universities and 10 colleges in Ontario offer RPN-BScN bridging programs • Little evaluative data is available • This study involves 50% of the RPN-to-BScN programs in Ontario

4. THE RESEARCH – Part I (2011-2012) In December 2011, UOIT-DC-GC received funding from the College-University Consortium Council (CUCC) to look at: • Student performance in our bridging program • Student behaviour in our bridging program • Student experience of bridging education • Outcomes of our bridging program for students

5. PHASE 1 ANALYSIS Data Sources • Student tracking information (432 students) • Application information, assessment of transfer credit • Student performance (course performance incl. comparison with other nursing and HLSC students, term and ongoing cumulative GPA) • Time to program completion, attrition rates • Focus group interviews (110 students) • exploring experiences in the program

6. PHASE 2 ANALYSIS Online data collection (current students) • Quantitative: • Demographic data revealing the context of their lives (work, finances, responsibilities, etc.) • Barriers and facilitators (employment factors, personal factors, academic factors, other factors) • Academic supports and services • Qualitative: • Student experience of change to self as a person and as a nurse • Student experience of the program year by year

7. PHASE 3 ANALYSIS • Enhanced analysis of student tracking data from phase 1 to begin to identify predictors of success in the program • Graduate perceptions: • Outcomes of the program • Transition into RN practice • Impact of the program on personal and professional lives

8. FOCUS GROUP FINDINGS (Phase 1) Data from 110 students (2009) • Students enter the program familiar with content encountered but unprepared for university and focus of new learning • Student identify facilitators to success as support from faculty and peers in the program, academic resources, design of the program, and clear expectations • Students identify barriers to success as finances, workload, transportation, technology, and challenges developing peer supports inside the program (rather than relying on established supports)

9. FACILITATORS & BARRIERS • 5 point Likert scale (strong barrier – strongly supports my success) • Areas of inquiry included: • Employment factors • Personal factors • Academic factors • Other factors

10. FACILITATORS OF SUCCESS • Employment Factors: • Work schedule flexibility • Personal Factors: • Family support, technical skills, writing skills, personality traits, work-life balance • Academic Factors: • Overall program of study, online learning, face to face learning, clinical learning • Other Factors: • Access to a car

11. BARRIERS TO SUCCESS • Employment Factors: • Lack of work schedule flexibility • Personal Factors: • Lack of employer and colleague support • Academic Factors: • Tutorial assistants, scheduling of classes (day/time) • Other Factors: • Financial, lack of stable family income, lack of access to childcare

12. PHASE 2 SUMMARY RPN-BScNstudents are working full-time, studying full-time, disrupting the stability of their lives, and, at the same time, out-performing their collaborative nursing program and health science student counterparts.

13. PHASE 3 DATA • 30 graduates (20% of total graduates) • 19 completed online survey; 11 took part in a telephone interview • 77% Oshawa campus; 23% Barrie Campus • 3 years to complete program: 77% • 97% successful on first writing of national registration exam

14. PROGRAM OUTCOMES Graduates describe 3 areas of change: • Greater freedom, choice & flexibility within their work life • Greater opportunity to work within their chosen nursing specialization • Growth experienced on both personal and professional levels

15. IMPACT OF BECOMING AN RN Graduates describe 4 impact themes: • Increased self-esteem & confidence • Pride in achieving an important goal • Moderate increase in salary or job security • Heightened self-appraisal of professional freedom & autonomy

16. WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? • Supports better advising of prospective students; informs recruiting and orientation; implications for admission processes (e.g., program fit) • Provides evidence for program revisions, including proposal to increase amount of transfer credit • Supports students as they progress through the program • Supports faculty in developing contextually-oriented approaches to teaching-learning • Enables faculty and learners to recognize the developmental nature of this educational experience

17. MOST SIGNIFICANTLY… … it shatters stereotypes about RPNs in a BScN Program and dispels the myth that RPN-to-BScN education is a “back door” to nursing.

18. Student Voiceshttp://youtu.be/Hi3WAMGz1RM