Voices of faculty of second-degree baccalaureate nursing students.

The limited research related to accelerated second-degree baccalaureate nursing programs primarily focuses on curricular issues or student experiences. The purpose of this study was to focus on the experiences of faculty teaching these students. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, 14 second-degree faculty from the East Coast region of the United States were interviewed to understand their experiences teaching accelerated second-degree baccalaureate nursing students and how these experiences helped or hindered their teaching and learning practices with these students. The challenges associated with teaching these students were identified in the themes At the Top of My Game and Teaching to Think Like a Nurse. This article describes this study and the implications for teaching accelerated second-degree baccalaureate students.

Predictors of success for Saudi Arabian students enrolled in an accelerated baccalaureate degree program in nursing in the United States.

In the mid 1980s, a professional nursing education program was initiated between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States. Based on a perceived and documented need, a collaborative education and research program was established with George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, to begin building a community of new scholars to assist in the advancement of professional nursing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Four cohorts of Saudi citizens from three institutions (King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Saudi Arabia National Guard Hospital, and Ministry of Aviation and Defense Hospital), who held a degree in science or a related field, were enrolled in an accelerated baccalaureate program leading to a bachelor of science in nursing degree. This project was funded by Saudi Arabian sources. A descriptive research study was conducted to identify predictors of success in the program. Results indicated a rate of program completion that was higher than expected. Some of the first graduates went on for a doctor of philosophy degree, but not all enrolled completed the program. Many countries around the world are seeking ways to upgrade and increase the supply of qualified nurses within their own borders. This study identified those factors that were predictors of success for Saudi Arabian students who completed a baccalaureate degree in nursing program in the United States.