Methods: Using Whittemore and Knafl’s (2005) guidelines, an integrative review was undertaken. With the support of a medical librarian (Rethlefsen, Murad, & Livingston, 2014), electronic database searching was performed in PubMed, the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Educational Resource Information Center (ERIC). Ancestry searching was also utilized. The search was limited to papers published from 1998-2019 to increase the relevancy of the findings to current students. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria to the 157 search results, 13 publications were included in the review.
Results: Five themes emerged from this review: (1) connection as evolving/changing, (2) to whom students were connected, (3) to whom students lacked connection, (4) facilitators of connection, and (5) barriers to connection. While connection waxed and waned during LPN-RN programs, the strongest connection reported was between fellow LPNs in an LPN-RN program, with disconnection experienced between LPNs and their non-LPN peers. Multiple barriers and facilitators of connection were identified. The most commonly reported facilitators of connection included utilizing technology and providing opportunities for distance-learning students to attend events on campus. Frequently reported barriers to connection were a lack of time and joining an already-established cohort of students.
Conclusion: The numerous barriers and facilitators of connection for students in LPN-RN programs suggest how nurse educators can promote connection in this unique student population. One particular area in need of deeper understanding and future intervention is connection between LPN-RN students and their non-LPN peers, as there was often a great disconnect reported in this area, with some evidence of hostility between the two groups. With limited research on student connection in LPN-RN programs undertaken in the past two decades, future research on the nature of such connection and ways to promote it is needed.