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This article describes an innovative and integrated program that links senior secondary studies to career pathways in nursing. Nursing Studies is a two unit Higher School Certificate (HSC) New South Wales Board of Studies endorsed course that provides an opportunity for students to begin a nursing pathway whilst still at secondary school. The course is particularly targeted at students wishing to pursue a Bachelor of Nursing degree. It was developed through a collaborative partnership between St George Hospital, St George District of the NSW Department of Education and Training, Georges River College Oatley Senior Campus, TAFE NSW and the Australian Catholic University. The authors provide information on the recruitment of the target group, the methodology of course delivery, outcomes for the students, the health care industry and the tertiary sector, and the further development of the program.

This article is part of a thematic edition of Vocal entitled ‘What works for vocational education and training in schools in terms of developing connections, building capacity and enhancing collaboration’. Articles are indexed from TD/TNC 94.144 to TD/TNC 94.150 and from TD/TNC 94.264 to TD/TNC 95.276. Show less

Since the late 1990s, the UK government has a policy to support widening participation (WP) measures in UK universities. These measures aimed to increase the demographic and socio-economic profile of the undergraduate student population across all UK universities. The target for these measures includes a focus on mature applicants, women entrants, and ethnic minority representation. One such recognised qualification is that of an Access to Higher Education Diploma. The Access programme is usually undertaken by mature students, with no previous qualifications, who after successful completion of a one-year full-time course are then able to apply for an undergraduate course.

The research questions asked in this thesis are not around student retention, although this phenomenon provides a backdrop to the study, but around learner persistence by mature Access entrants on the UK pre-registration nursing programme. This research raises important questions about what is enabling mature entrants to persist on their programme, since data indicates that mature entrants account for 46 per cent of all nursing students who enter preregistration nursing programmes in the UK.

The study findings indicate that despite the known transition hurdles that result in some student nurses leaving their course early, the nine participants in this study were able to persist successfully on their programme. The study findings suggest that there are significant factors that have enabled these nine mature Access entrants to have a 'persistent' approach. These are the 'learner profile', 'on-programme' and 'environmental' factors and are presented as a framework for a grounded theory of mature learner persistence directly taken from the lived experiences of the nine individuals in this study.

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Bachelor of Nursing (BN) programmes for Registered Nurses (RNs) were developed in New Zealand in the 1990s. With the introduction of pre-registration degree programmes, transition arrangements that recognised the prior learning of RNs were established allowing existing RNs to obtain an undergraduate nursing degree through a shortened course. Many RNs entered these programmes, despite there being no requirement to obtain a degree qualification and with other education options available to them. Professional debate exists regarding the need or value of RNs undertaking such study and whether these programmes should continue. A case study approach utilising mixed methods was used to examine the personal meaning and the national professional significance of RN to BN programmes.

While ultimately the outcome of earlier professional efforts, these programmes occurred as a result of change, change within the socio-political and economic context of New Zealand and nursing education. Change at this macro level affected the individual choices of RNs. These choices were further complicated by a lack of professional consensus and a landscape of difference, with programme requirements and availability differing between institutions, while employers varied in the amount of support and recognition they gave those who chose this option. There were personal and financial costs to completing a RN to BN programme, yet the RNs in this study all believed it was worth it, reporting positive personal and professional outcomes. The professional and educational environment has changed since the introduction of RN to BN programmes and the numbers of individuals and institutions involved with them have greatly reduced. Currently decisions regarding the continuation or demise of these programmes are made by individual educational institutions based mainly on economic rationale. Consensus and direction is required nationally and professionally regarding the place of these programmes within post-registration education. While these programmes have provided benefits for individual RNs, their time in nursing education may be coming to an end.

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The Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant was launched in 2011 by the United States Department of Labor (DOL), in partnership with the United States Department of Education. The Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign conducted the third-party evaluation of the Health Professions Pathways (H2P) Consortium that was funded with a Round One TAACCCT grant of over 19 million US dollars. The overall evaluation has three major components: (1) implementation evaluation; (2) impact evaluation; and (3) performance reporting on behalf of the H2P Consortium to the DOL. This report focuses on the impact of the H2P Consortium, taking into account programs of study and strategy implementation by the nine co-grantee colleges.

There were eight strategies that represent the H2P Consortium's efforts to enact transformative change in healthcare education in the community college context. Through the first six strategies the co-grantee colleges strived to transform their healthcare education pathways in the following ways: recognize the skills and knowledge gained by students through their previous experiences through an enhanced prior learning assessment process that accelerates students time to completion; provide contextualized and integrated developmental education that improves students' foundation skills and the likelihood that they would earn a credential; provide a healthcare occupations core curriculum that raises students' awareness of career options, prepares students for rigor of healthcare study, provides students with foundational knowledge and skills, and expands access for underserved populations; implement incumbent healthcare programs that advance lower-skilled healthcare workers into more advanced positions; provide comprehensive and inclusive career and retention services to foster student success in their career pathway; and build industry-recognized stackable credentials and incumbent healthcare programs that accelerate time to completion, streamline pathways to the labor market, and advance lower-skilled healthcare workers into more advanced positions.

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Studies have shown that hospitals with more bachelor degreed nurses generate better patient outcomes. Therefore increasing the share of registered nurses with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is a top priority for many health care systems around the country. However, restricting new hires to nurses with a BSN could leave heath care centres with a much less diverse nursing workforce than it currently has or wants due to the cost and time constraints of attaining this qualification. This report addresses the creation of a Registered Apprenticeship program for nurses in need of bachelor's degrees, exploring one such program created at Fairview Health Services in Minnesota. The relative ease with which Fairview incorporated apprenticeship into its existing professional development strategies demonstrates that it is already a close fit. It also shows that apprenticeship can be a valuable tool for helping the field reach its goal of increasing the share of bachelor-degreed nurses to 80 percent. But expanding the use of apprenticeship in nursing and realizing its full potential as an education and training model will require support from a broad range of stakeholders across the public and private sectors. The report recommends these groups: (1) convene key stakeholders to discuss Registered Apprenticeship; (2) create targeted grant programs; (3) support research and evaluation of the impact of the bachelor-degreed nursing program on patient outcomes; (4) raise awareness of the apprenticeship pathway; (5) fund and evaluate pilot programs; (6) partner with health care workforce intermediaries to develop apprenticeship programs and; (7) partner more selectively with institutions of higher education to ensure quality and drive down tuition.

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Hong Kong has introduced a senior intake admission scheme which is similar to the US model of credit transfer from community college programmes to university bachelor programmes. The study aimed to assess the outcomes, in terms of generic capabilities, of introducing a senior intake articulation scheme to a bachelor of nursing curriculum in Hong Kong. One hundred and seventy-four nursing students completed and returned the Student Engagement Questionnaire. The senior intake students reported significantly higher scores in creative thinking, active learning, teaching for understanding, feedback to assist learning, and relationship between teachers and students than the mainstream students. Self-managed learning and relationship with other students were positively and significantly related to academic performance. The senior intake students appeared to adjust well in university education. Greater effort should be made to nurture their relationship with other students and a review of the denseness of the mainstream curriculum is warranted.

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Nurses are critical to deliver on the promise of 'leaving no one behind' and the global effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They make a central contribution to national and global targets related to a range of health priorities, including universal health coverage, mental health and noncommunicable diseases, emergency preparedness and response, patient safety, and the delivery of integrated, people-centred care. No global health agenda can be realized without concerted and sustained efforts to maximize the contributions of the nursing workforce and their roles within interprofessional health teams. To do so requires policy interventions that enable them to have maximum impact and effectiveness by optimizing nurses' scope and leadership, alongside accelerated investment in their education, skills and jobs. This report, developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in partnership with the International Council of Nurses and the global Nursing Now campaign, and with the support of governments and wider partners, provides a compelling case on the value of the nursing workforce globally. The report reveals much to celebrate about the nursing workforce. Opportunities for advanced nursing education and enhanced professional roles, including at the policy level, can drive improvements in population health. At the same time, we continue to see vast inequities in the distribution of nurses around the world which we must address.

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Inconsistent and unclear articulation pathways have been identified as inhibiting factors for people intending to enter and progress within the nursing profession. Differing methods of assessment, recognition of prior learning and processes for credit transfer between vocational education and training (VET) and higher education make it difficult for educators and prospective students to identify the range of education options available. This has led to a perception that Division 2 nurses with a Certificate IV in Health (Nursing) are disadvantaged in articulating to Bachelor of Nursing programs. This study surveyed all universities and registered training organisations (RTOs) offering the Bachelor of Nursing or the Certificate IV in Health Nursing programs. It maps the current articulation environment, identifies the methods currently used to assess candidates and or courses for articulation, measures demand for articulation, compares and contrasts approaches and identifies opportunities and threats from the proposed national qualifications in the revised health training package. The results of the survey reveal that while university articulation arrangements are unclear and allow some discretion, there is no evidence that holders of the Certificate IV are disadvantaged or discriminated against.

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The Department of Health announced an independent review of nursing education as a measure in the 2018/19 Federal Budget in May 2018. The present report represents the outcome of the various consultations, debates, and discussions. It covers the educational preparation of nurses, as well as the factors that influence people to choose nursing as an occupation. The report also looks at how other countries view Australian nursing education. The review found much that is excellent about nursing education, but it also found areas that could be improved. These include increasing the diversity of the nursing workforce, providing easily navigable career paths, fostering inter-professional collaboration, and ensuring that all nurses are adequately prepared for their roles. This report covers each of these topics and several related ones.

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International trends for pre-registration nurse education at degree level alongside 'widening access' initiatives mean that academic achievement of students entering via different educational routes is of interest to both higher and further education institutions. This article examines the academic achievement of students undertaking a Bachelor of Nursing (Hons) pre-registration nursing programme, in a UK higher education institution, who hold comparable Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) points that have been secured via different avenues. Students in the sample entered the programme via three routes, one 'traditional' and two 'non-traditional'. Those entering via one of the 'non-traditional' routes (Business and Technology Education Council National Diploma) appear to achieve the highest degree classifications. Some findings corroborate previous research relating to equality of achievement between genders. However, it contradicts other literature in that outcomes are comparable across age ranges and social classes. Attrition was found to be more prevalent in those entering via the Access to Nursing/Healthcare route.

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