The Experiences of Nurses Returning to School for the Baccalaureate: A Metasynthesis

Aim/Purpose: This metasynthesis assists the interpretation of qualitative research performed to explore the experience of registered nurses who return to school to pursue a baccalaureate degree. Understanding these experiences can assist achievement of the national goal of 80% BSN by 2020. Background As few as 21% of all RNs prepared at the associate or diploma level go on to earn a baccalaureate degree (DHHS, 2010) and experts believe that enhanced academic/clinical partnerships can result in improvement (Niederhauser, et al., 2010; Tanner, 2010).

Methods: The method of Noblit and Hare (1998) was followed to increase understanding of the phenomena.

Results/Findings, Conclusions: Seven overarching themes are presented in the words of the 324 nurses reprsented by the thirteen qualitative studies in the sample. The experiences of these nurses provide evidence to inform partnerships as they seek to develop effective, efficient and meaningful educational pathways that acknowledge the challenges and needs of these professionals.