Nursing Education and Skills

September 2003–August 2006

This study investigated nurse preparation and the workplace demands of novice nurses. Because new nurses in the United States can become eligible for licensure as an RN in one of three ways—earning a hospital-based diploma, a baccalaureate in nursing (BSN), or an associate degree in nursing (ADN)—there is a long-standing debate regarding the most appropriate educational background for novice RNs. CCRC explored the BSN/ADN debate, what is known about the programmatic differences between pre-licensure programs, and research on the differential job performance of ADN- and BSN-educated nurses.

This project was funded by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Project Lead

Melinda Mechur Karp