nursing education

Faculty have long included digital learning in traditional onsite courses. But today’s approach to blended learning uses course design strategies and technology to actively engage the learner in a mix of onsite and online education, according to Rita F. D’Aoust, PhD, ANP-BC, CNE, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN, associate dean for teaching and learning at Johns Hopkins SON in Baltimore…

…Blended online and in-class approaches to nursing education are increasing, according to Jean Moore, DrPH, MSN, FAAN, director for the Center for Health Workforce Studies at the School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany.

“For instance, UAlbany is exploring the possibility of a BSN completer program, and that is how it will operate,” she said.

By law, RNs in New York have to earn a BSN within 10 years of initial licensure. So, there’s great interest in the state to create opportunities for nurses to get their bachelor’s degrees through completer programs. Offering an online component to the completer programs makes them more accessible to nurses in parts of the state with fewer established BSN programs, according to Moore. “In New York, there aren’t as many BSN programs upstate as there are downstate,” Moore said. “The question is how do you make sure you have an adequate supply of nurses upstate, particularly in rural areas? That’s where I think building relationships between associate degree programs and BSN completers that offer the blended approach just makes a whole lot of sense.”