Student Nurses as Workforce Extenders: A Pandemic-Proof Education Innovation.

Background: The authors developed an innovative academic-practice partnership to meet the clinical experience needs of student nurses in a public health clinical course and support the nursing workforce due to the COVID-19 pandemic in a community-based hospital.

Method: The partnership (1) prioritized student and staff safety, (2) complied with local and state policies, (3) used faculty to supervise students, and (4) was built on the preexisting relationship between nursing faculty and hospital leaders. Student nurses deployed as workforce extenders with the clinical instructor on-site as the primary supervisor.

Essential content in RN-BSN programs.

Currently, there are more than 600 registered nurse to bachelor of science in nursing (RN-BSN) programs in the United States, and the number of students enrolled in them is growing quickly. This growth is at least partially in response to the Institute of Medicine's recent recommendation that 80% of RNs be BSN prepared by 2020. Proliferation of RN-BSN programs suggests a need to examine them more critically, as very little information is available in the nursing literature or through accrediting bodies regarding what courses and content they should include.

Eighty percent by 2020: the present and future of RN-to-BSN education.

More than 600 RN-to-BSN programs currently exist in the United States, and the numbers of programs and students are growing rapidly. This unprecedented growth is a result of several factors, including the Institute of Medicine's recommendation that 80% of RNs be BSN prepared by 2020. This survey was undertaken to explore key ideas and issues related to RN-to-BSN education to gather information on how RN-to-BSN programs are changing and to uncover concerns posited by program directors.

National survey of RN-to-BSN programs.

More than 600 RN-to-BSN programs exist in the United States. Little information is available describing many aspects of these programs (e.g.