Competency-Based Education in RN to BSN Programs.

Background: The call for nursing education reform has never been louder. National organizations recognize the urgent need to prepare nursing students to practice competently, moving away from traditional teaching and curricula and to competency-based education (CBE) strategies to prepare future nurses for independent clinical practice.

Problem: The 2021 American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials do not account for the competencies achieved in registered nurse (RN) associate degree and diploma programs. This presents a challenge for RN to bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program administrators and faculty when designing curricula to meet the new Essentials .

Approach: The Essentials crosswalk created by the National RN-Baccalaureate Faculty Forum serves as a foundational guide for the development of the template models discussed in this article.

Conclusion: This article provides a template of instructional models for implementing CBE in RN to BSN programs.