Lecture 4
Nursing Education
OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lecture the student will be able to:
• Describe the different types of educational nursing
programs.
• Discuss the characteristics of each type of the
educational programs.
TYPES EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
Educational programs available for nurses include
1- Practical or vocational
2-Registered nursing
3-Graduate nursing
4-Continuing education
5-In-service education
1-Licensed Practical (vocational) Nursing
• Graduates of the licensed practical/vocational programs
write the NCLEX for practical nurses(NCLEXPN).
• An LPN or LVN is trained in basic nursing skills to provide
client care under the guidance of an RN or other licensed
provider, for example, a physician or dentist.
• Schools for practical nursing programs are located in a
variety of settings: high schools, community colleges,
vocational schools, hospitals, and other health care
agencies.
• Most program are 1- year programs divided into one-third
classroom hours and two-third clinical laboratory hours.
• On completion of the program, graduate can take the
National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-PN ) for
Licensure as a licensed practical nurse (LPN).
• LPNs work under the direction of the physician or RN to give
direct care to the patients, focusing on meeting health care
needs in hospitals, nursing homes and home health agency
2-Registered Nursing Programs
• Graduates of registered nurse programs write the NCLEX for registered nurses
(NCLEX-RN).
• An entry level educational program means that the program prepares graduates
to write a licensing examination. National Council Licensing Examination
(NCLEX) to obtain a license to practice nursing.
• Currently, Three major educational routs lead to RN licensure as an :
a) Diploma
b) Associate degree
c) Baccalaureate program
• Graduate of all three programs take NCLEX-RN examination. Nurses gain legal
rights to practice nursing in another state by applying to that state’s board of
nursing and receiving reciprocal licensures.
a) Diploma in Nursing
• After Florence Nightingale established training school for nurses at St.
Thomas Hospital in England in 1860. Which is the first schools of nursing
• The 3- year hospital based diploma programs, were the dominant
nursing program from the late 1800s and were the major source of
graduates until the mid-1960.
• In recent years, the number of diploma programs has decreased greatly.
• Graduate of diploma programs have a sound foundation of the biologic
and social sciences with a strong emphasis on clinical experience in
direct patient care.
• Graduate work in acute, long-term, ambulatory health care facilities
b) Associate Degree in Nursing
• Associate degree nursing (ADN) dedication is based on a research project
that was carried out by a shortage Dr. Mildred Montag in the 1950s
• At that time there was a shortage in nurses, and the project was created
to meet the need of society by preparing nurses in less time than was
required in diploma program
• Currently, most associate degree programs are in community or junior
colleges.
• These 2 year-educational programs attracted more men, more
monitories and more nontraditional students than do the other type of
programs.
c) Baccalaureate in Nursing
• The first baccalaureate nursing programs were established in the United States
at the university of Minnesota in 1909.
•
Most of the early baccalaureate programs were five years in length, which was
the norm until the 1950s.
• The five-year program was basically the three-year nursing school curriculum
with the addition of two years of liberal arts
• Today baccalaureate nursing programs are located in senior colleges and
universities and are generally 4 years in length.
• The curricula offer courses in the liberal arts, sciences, humanities and nursing
• Most graduates receive a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN).
• baccalaureate nursing provide nursing care to the
individual and groups, work with members of the
health care use research to improve practice and
have a foundation for graduate study.
• Nurses who gradate from a diploma or associate
degree program and wish to complete requirement
for a BSN may choose to enrolled in an RN- to- BSN
program or may complete requirements through an
external degree program.
2-Graduate Education in Nursing
• Prepare nurses to practice in various roles as
advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs).
• Individual states have varying statutory provisions for
APRNs.
• For instance, some states recognize the APRN’s
credentials to practice, whereas others require
licensure.
Common requirements for admission to graduate programs in nursing include the
following:
• The applications must be a registered nurse licensed.
• The application generally most hold a baccalaureate degree in nursing from an
approved college or university.
• The application must give scholastic ability (usually a minimum grade point
average of 2.7 to 3 on a 4.0 scale).
• The application must demonstrate satisfactory achievement on a quality
examination such as Graduate Record Examination(GRE) or Miller analogy
Test(MAT).
• The application must have letters of recommendation from supervisor, nursing
faculty, or nursing colleagues indicating the applicant’s ability to do graduate
ability to do graduate study.
The two levels of graduate education in nursing are
a) The master’s degree.
b) The doctoral degree
a) The master’s degree
• The growth of university nursing programs encouraged the
development of graduate study in nursing.
• In 1953, the newly reestablished National League for nursing
encourage educators to develop programs for master’s degree in
nursing.
• Today master’s programs generally take from 1.5 to 2 years to
complete.
• Degrees granted for master’s are:
1-Master of arte(MA).
2-Master of nursing (MN).
3-Master of science in nursing (MSN).
4-Master of science(MS).
• Master’ degree programs provide specialized knowledge and
skills that enables nurses to assume advanced roles in
practice, education, administration, and research.
b) Doctoral Programs
• Doctoral programs in nursing began in the 1960s in the united states.
• This programs further prepare the nurse for advanced clinical practice,
administration , education, and research.
• The degree awarded are
1-Doctor of philosophy (PhD).
2-Doctor of nursing science(DNS) or (DNSc).
3-Nursing decorate (ND).
•
Before 1960 nurse acquired doctorate degree nurses acquired doctoral
degrees in such related fields as psychology, sociology, physiology and
education
• In 2004, the American Association of College of Nursing (AACN)
approved to move to prepare advanced practice nurse (nurse
practitioners, nurse anesthetist, nurse
midwives and clinic al
nurse specialist) at the doctoral level- awarded a doctor of nursing
practice(DPN) and phrasing out the DNS and ND designation.
• Content and approach vary among doctoral programs. Some focus
on the usual clinical areas, such as medical-surgical nursing, and
others emphasize such nontraditional areas as transcultural
nursing.
• Some programs emphasize theory development, but emphasize
research
4-Continuing education
The term Continuing education (CE) refers to formalized experiences
designed to enlarge the knowledge or skills of practitioner.
Participants may receive certificates of completion or specialization.
They are usually designed to meet one or more of the following
a) To keep the nurses a breast of new techniques and knowledge
b) Help nurses attain expertise in a specialized area of practice, such as
intensive care nursing.
c) To provide nurses with information essential to nursing practice for
example, knowledge about legal aspect of nursing.
5-In-Service Education
In-service education program is administered by
an employer ; it is designed to upgrade the
knowledge or skills of employees. For example, an
employee might offer an in-service program to
inform nurses a new piece of equipment.
Thank you