Diffusion of a nursing education innovation: nursing workforce development through promotion of RN/BSN education.

Despite state, national, and organizational objectives to increase the proportion of nurses with a bachelor's degree or higher, a majority of nurses hold an associate's degree in nursing. To address the need for a better-prepared nursing workforce in this rural state, an RN/BSN recruitment and retention project was implemented. The authors discuss the Leadership Education to Advance Practice project and its outcomes.

Faculty advising in nursing education: necessary evil or opportunity for excellence?

Understanding the components of faculty workload is critical to recruitment and retention of nurse educators and to success and sustainability of nursing education programs. The role of faculty advisors has been linked to student retention and success in nursing undergraduate education. Despite the importance of academic advising, there is a paucity of research examining the impact of advising on the workload of nurse educators.

Using nursing perspectives to inform public health nursing workforce development.

Recent national and regional public health workforce development efforts have been conducted through a framework of public health services research. Public health nurses (PHNs) are the single largest professional group in the formal public health system, and thus have the greatest potential for positively impacting our community health systems. Effective public health workforce development is contingent on examination of how PHNs themselves make meaning of their practice.

Developing public health competence among RN-to-BSN students in a rural community.

A new RN/BSN nursing program offers rural students in a western state the opportunity to address significant health care needs on a local level by developing public health leadership competencies in their home communities. The innovative program, funded by a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, makes it possible for RNs to complete their BSN degrees without travel, as they position themselves to provide critically needed health care leadership in their local areas. Partnerships between the university, community colleges, and local health agencies allow students in the RN-to-BSN program to benefit from a streamlined BSN admission process, onsite mentoring, and newly developed courses that lead students to reflect on health needs in their home communities.