THE RELATIONSHIP OF PROFESSIONAL ORIENTATION VARIABLES AND REGISTERED NURSES' ATTITUDES TOWARD THE BACCALAUREATE REQUIREMENT FOR LICENSURE AND PROVISIONS FOR EDUCATIONAL MOBILITY.
Contributors: Columbia University. Teachers College.
Published: 1989
Number of pages: 172
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship among three variables--career commitment, membership in professional organizations, and educational attainment--and the attitudes of registered nurses (RN) in Pennsylvania toward the baccalaureate (BSN) requirement for RN licensure and current provisions for educational mobility.

This research was a descriptive study which included a representative sample of nurses from the state of Pennsylvania. Data collection involved mailed questionnaires. A total of 263 nurses participated in the study. Data were coded and transferred to a computer data file for statistical analysis through use of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The relationships between the three professional orientation variables and the attitudes toward the issues of licensure and educational mobility were determined through use of Pearson product-moment correlations.

Findings indicated that the majority of nurses wanted additional education at the college level and would be in favor of the BSN for licensure if reasonable pathways existed for BSN completion. Educational attainment and membership in professional organizations were statistically significantly correlated with attitudes regarding the BSN for licensure. Significant intercorrelations among professional orientation variables were also found.

The implications of the findings are three. The profession has been unsuccessful in the entry debate because we have been "incomplete" in our approach. Educational mobility is the missing link in the entry debate and is our means to professional change and advancement. Professional unity is of paramount importance to nurses in this current health care environment.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-08, Section: B, page: 3399.

Thesis (ED.D.)--COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TEACHERS COLLEGE, 1989.

School code: 0055.