BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY fr the BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING Submitted t: The Flrida Department f Educatin by MIAMI DADE COLLEGE Schl f Nursing December 15, 2006

Miami Dade Cllege Prpsal fr a Bachelr f Science in Nursing Degree (BSN) Executive Summary December 15, 2006 I. PROGRAM GOALS & OUTCOMES The primary gal f the Bachelr f Science in Nursing (BSN) degree prpsal at Miami Dade Cllege (MDC) is t prvide students and practicing nurses with a high quality, accessible, cst-effective, and seamless academic prgram designed t meet the critical wrkfrce need fr baccalaureate-prepared nurses in the State f Flrida. The prpsed BSN prgram, at the MDC Medical Center Campus Schl f Nursing, is intended t prvide increased pprtunities fr: 1. Prfessinal registered nurses (RNs) wh are graduates f assciate degree nursing prgrams t matriculate int a baccalaureate degree prgram in the same envirnment where they have experienced academic success. 2. An affrdable baccalaureate degree fr RNs frm under-represented grups and lw-incme families wh cannt affrd high tuitin csts. 3. in need f flexible scheduling f curses including days, evenings, and weekends. 4. Wrking/practicing nurses wh may wish t pursue a baccalaureate degree as the first step tward advanced degrees. 5. Nurses frm minrity grups t enhance their career ptins by acquiring additinal cmpetencies needed t meet the increasingly cmplex demands f cntemprary prfessinal nursing practice. 6. Preparing mre culturally diverse nurses at the baccalaureate level. II. ADVANTAGES OF MDC OFFERING A BSN DEGREE PROGRAM MDC serves a large percentage f minrity students as illustrated in Tables 1 and 2 belw. Therefre, a BSN prgram will enable MDC t prvide access and increase the number f baccalaureate-prepared nurses frm minrity grups. Table 1: Assciate Degrees Awarded Natinally t Hispanics (2004-2005) Cllege Number f Hispanic Graduates Miami Dade Cllege (FL) 4,073 El Pas Cmmunity Cllege (TX) 1,443 Suth Texas Cmmunity Cllege (TX) 1,035 East Ls Angeles Cllege (CA) 873 Lared Cmmunity Cllege (TX) 754 Surce: IPEDS data in the MDC Fact Bk (2006) Table 2: Assciate Degrees Awarded Natinally t African-Americans (2004-2005) Cllege Number f African- American Graduates Miami Dade Cllege (FL) 1,220 American Intercntinental University (On-line) 884 Brward Cmmunity Cllege (FL) 779 CUNY-Brugh Manhattan Cmmunity Cllege (NY) 777 Central Texas Cllege (TX) 707 Surce: IPEDS data in MDC Fact Bk (2006) 2

MDC has demnstrated success in penetrating the minrity ppulatin at its Medical Center Campus, and particularly serving the African-American ppulatin as cmpared with the general ppulatin f the cunty. Please see Table 3: Table 3: Cmparisn f Miami-Dade Cunty and Medical Center Campus Fall 2005 Credit Student Demgraphics Ethnicity/Race Number Perce Miami-Dade Cunty Percent nt Hispanic 989 54.3 60.1 African American (Nn-Hispanic) 502 27.6 18.8 White (Nn-Hispanic) 267 14.7 19.0 Other 64 3.4 2.1 Ttal 1822 100.0 100.0 Gender Number Perce nt Female 1100 60.4 51.6 Male 722 39.6 48.4 Ttal 1822 100.0 100.0 Miami-Dade Cunty Percent MDC is able t deliver mre extensive student services than research-intensive and extensive institutins and has demnstrated success in serving academically underprepared students. Please see Table 4. Table 4: Medical Center Campus Fall 2005 Student Snapsht Characteristic Percent Needed cllege preparatry cursewrk in reading, writing, 45% algebra, r sme cmbinatin f these at entry t MDC First generatin cllege-bund students 53% wh spend 6 r mre hurs cmmuting t and frm 51% classes each week wh speak a language ther than English at hme (37% 50% Spanish, 9% Crele, 4% ther) wrking full time r part-time 75% caring fr dependents 68% classified as lw incme 45% Surce: Miami Dade Cllege Office f Institutinal Research Surce: MDC Fall Prfile (2005) MDC can deliver the BSN degree prgram mre cst effectively because f its lwer tuitin rates (please see Table 5). Cnsidering that 45% f the students served by MDC are classified as lw incme and 65% f MDC students are the recipients f sme type f financial aid, develpment f the BSN prgram at MDC will prvide a unique pprtunity fr students frm lw-incme families and underrepresented grups (wh therwise cannt affrd t g t fur-year institutins) t earn BSN degrees. 3

Table 5: Cmparisn f Tuitin Csts at Suth Flrida Clleges & Universities 2006-2007 Institutin Estimated RN-BSN In-State Tuitin Cst ( Cst per credit hur/semester) Flrida Internatinal University $ 104.33 Flrida Atlantic University $ 108.64 Barry University $ 705.00 (based n 18 credits/semester) (RNs receive a 30% discunt) Nva Sutheastern University $ 420.00 University f Miami $1,280.00 (Based n enrllment f 20 credits fr Fall r Spring) Miami Dade Cllege $ 62.36 Surce: Crrespnding Institutin Web Sites MDC will prvide additinal access fr ver-subscribed BSN degree prgrams. In 2005, the Flrida Center fr Nursing reprted that nearly sixty percent (59.92%) f the individuals wh applied t nursing baccalaureate degree prgrams in Sutheast Flrida were nt admitted due t the lack f capacity t accmmdate applicants at 4-year institutins. Please see Table 6. Results f recent surveys indicate that 81% f current MDC students and 59% f alumni selected MDC as their preferred institutin fr pursuing a BSN degree. Therefre, MDC has a captive audience and is pised t serve its alumni wh are ready t cntinue at the same institutin where they successfully earned their ASN, using an affrdable and efficient, career-ladder apprach. Table 6: Number f Qualified Nursing Applicants Cmpared t Number f Nursing Admitted/Denied in the State f Flrida fr 2004 (Flrida Center fr Nursing, 2005) Regin Nrthwest Nrth East Central West Central Suthwest Sutheast ASN Qualified Applicants 869 170 720 253 1424 663 698 422 748 456 2138 716 Admitted Denied due t Capacity 529 (60.87%) 467 (64.86%) 761 (53.44%) 276 (39.54%) 292 (39.03%) 1422 (66.51%) Statewide 6597 2680 3917 (59.37%) BSN Qualified Applican ts Admitted Denied due t Capacity 361 157 204 (56.5%) 1004 260 744 (74.1%) 368 173 195 (52.9%) 517 360 157 (30.36%) 125 87 38 (30.4%) 1310 525 785 (59.92%) 3685 1359 2326 (63.12%) 4

MDC has been successful with baccalaureate prgrams. Fr example, the Bachelr f Applied Science-Public Safety Management prgram, implemented by MDC in August 2006, has an initial enrllment f 80 students, a 29.4% enrllment increase ver the initial prjectin f 68 students. It is anticipated that due t the nursing shrtage and highdemand fr nurses, initial enrllment prjectins fr the BSN prgram will als be surpassed. Current MDC students as well as alumni have expressed the highest level f interest and preference fr the BSN degree prgram at MDC. In additin, the healthcare industry and ther external cnstituencies have pledged strng supprt as illustrated by the fllwing: Nearly eighty-ne percent (81%) f MDC enrlled nursing students surveyed in 2006 indicated they wuld enrll in a RN-BSN degree prgram if ffered at MDC. Fifty-nine percent (59%) alumni respndents surveyed in 2006 ranked MDC as their first chice f schls t pursue and earn the RN-BSN degree. The MDC Schl f Nursing Advisry Cmmittee, which cnsists f hspital leaders, MDC alumni, and MDC faculty and administratrs, apprved the develpment f the prpsed RN-BSN degree prgram n April 13, 2006. MDC has received strng supprt and encuragement frm lcal healthcare agencies regarding the implementatin f the prpsed RN-BSN degree. MDC serves a unique and diverse student bdy. MDC s experience and expertise in the educatin f nursing students frm lw incme and under-represented grups makes it the ideal institutin t ffer the BSN degree in rder t prepare them fr advanced career pprtunities, including middle management and supervisry psitins. lli. THE NEED AND POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF THE MDC BSN DEGREE PROGRAM The prpsed Bachelr f Science in Nursing degree at MDC is designed t address the fllwing: 1. The need fr BSN-prepared nurses. The American Organizatin f Nurse Executives (AONE) supprts the BSN as the entry level int practice, based n research cnducted and published by Dr. Linda Aiken (an endwed leadership prfessr at the University f Pennsylvania). As a result, Marilyn Bwcutt, president f AONE, has challenged Nurse Executives t encurage assciate degree graduates t cmplete BSN degrees and has challenged leaders t encurage mre clleges t increase capacity fr nursing baccalaureate degree prgrams. The need fr BSNprepared nurses is further supprted by the fllwing: AONE has stated that a baccalaureate degree is necessary t prepare future nurses fr increasingly cmplex and challenging patient care. This statement is supprted by multiple studies that demnstrate that patient mrtality and risk f death was decreased by a higher prprtin f BSN nurses in the wrkfrce. The Natinal Advisry Cuncil n Nurse Educatin and Practice and the US Secretary fr Health and Human Services indicated that by 2010, 66% f the nursing wrkfrce wuld need t be prepared at the BSN level. Currently, nly 26% f Flrida s nursing wrkfrce is BSN-prepared. Several majr emplyers, including the United States Public Health Service and the United States Armed Services, require the BSN r higher degree fr all levels f nurses. The Veterans Administratin requires the BSN fr prmtin. 5

The RN-BSN is the first step fr upward mbility within the nursing prfessin and can help t decrease the nursing faculty shrtage, cnsidering the fllwing: a. Apprximately 50% f nurses will leave the wrkfrce t retire in the next 10 years. b. The average age f nursing faculty in Flrida is 56 years f age (51 natinally). It is estimated that 50% f nursing faculty will retire by 2010, cmpunding the prblem f nt nly recruiting peple t nursing, but having enugh teachers. 2. Enhancement f patient utcmes. Dr. Linda Aiken s research has identified linkages between higher levels f nursing educatin and psitive patient utcmes. Her research indicates that surgical patients have a substantial survival advantage if treated in hspitals with a higher prprtin f baccalaureate prepared nurses. By increasing the prprtin f nurses hlding BSN degrees by 10%, there was a decrease in the risk f patient death and failure t rescue by 5%. 3. Diversity and inclusiveness in the nursing prfessin. There is great cncern at the Federal, State, and lcal levels abut the shrtage f RNs frm underrepresented minrity grups. Althugh 81% f Miami-Dade Cunty s ppulatin cnsists f racial and ethnic minrities, nly 18% f RNs cme frm minrity grups. It is anticipated that the prpsed RN-BSN prgram will prvide health care agencies with a diverse pl f nurses prepared t meet the needs f the ethnically and racially diverse Suth Flrida cmmunities. 4. Easing f the Nursing Shrtage in Suth Flrida. In the state f Flrida, BSN prepared nurses (accrding t the Nurse Practice Act) can teach at the ASN level as adjunct faculty. Increasing the supply f BSN nurses will increase the number f additinal nursing faculty at the ASN level, thereby reducing the faculty shrtage. BSN-prepared nurses wh begin in adjunct faculty psitins may becme interested in pursuing a career in nursing educatin and may g n t earn Master s and Dctrate degrees at ther institutins. IV. QUALITY ASSURANCE: Quality assurance fr the BSN degree prgram wuld be achieved thrugh the fllwing: SACS Accreditatin Standards. Miami Dade Cllege is fully accredited by the Suthern Assciatin f Clleges and Schls (SACS) as a Level 2 institutin and is authrized t ffer baccalaureate and assciate degrees. Therefre, the prpsed prgram will be perated under SACS standards. NLNAC Accreditatin. The ASN degree prgram at MDC is full accredited by the Natinal League fr Nursing Accrediting Cmmissin (NLNAC). MDC will seek NLNAC accreditatin fr the BSN degree prgram. State Bard Standards. The prgram will seek Flrida State Bard f Nursing apprval. Institutinal Review. The prgram will be included in Miami Dade Cllege s Five-Year Prgram Review prcess. 6