At a time when Florida is facing a nursing shortage it is important to accurately assess the current registered nurse (RN) workforce in order to provide opportunities for baccalaureate and advanced nursing educational preparation. Unlike previous nursing shortages, the current nursing shortage in Florida is two-fold, one of numbers to meet workforce demand and one of graduates educationally prepared to address the complex healthcare requirements of the state's diverse and underserved population. The purpose of this study was to collect demographic information on RNs in 11 counties surrounding the University of Central Florida School of Nursing (UCF-SON) and to assess their educational interests, needs, and preferences. The collected data will be useful to support expanding enrollment at UCF-SON and in planning future programs to be offered to meet the identified educational needs.
The majority of respondents were Caucasian females, married, working in a hospital, 40 years of age and older (70%), and had more than 10 years of nursing experience. The Nurse Educator focus was identified as the most appealing in both a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and nursing doctorate program. For the MSN program, the three most popular tracks were the Nurse Educator, Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), and Nursing Leadership and Management. Of those interested in pursuing a doctorate in nursing, the two most popular focuses were the Nurse Educator, and the Nurse Clinician/Researcher.
We can conclude from this study that the majority of respondents (56%) desire to obtain a higher degree in nursing and plan to return for further education within the next three years. Of those planning to return to school, the majority plan to pursue a MSN degree (58.8%). As adult learners, RNs prefer web based and traditional courses as opposed to videotaped and interactive television courses. They prefer evening classes during the week and want to attend class close to where they live.
These findings support expanding enrollment at UCF-SON in the RN to MSN and MSN programs. They also support the current interest in and project a healthy growth for the newly developed Nursing Education certificate program and the CNS track. ill
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ucf.edu/oai:stars.library.ucf.edu:rtd-2916 |
| Date | 01 January 2000 |
| Creators | Lindsey, Maria |
| Publisher | University of Central Florida |
| Source Sets | University of Central Florida |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Retrospective Theses and Dissertations |
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