Nurses on-line: career mobility for registered nurses

The demands of a dynamic health care environment have altered the roles and responsibilities of nurses, creating employment situations where distinctions across educational levels are becoming increasingly important. The 1995 Pew Foundation Report projected that, in the next decade, there would exist a shortage of registered nurses with baccalaureate and higher degree preparation. This deficit creates a unique opportunity to provide innovative approaches to career mobility for registered nurses. Constraints related to juggling the demands of home life, child rearing, and employment have been obstacles for diploma and associate degree nurses wishing to continue their education. Web-based instruction offers exciting possibilities for a new paradigm in nursing education that takes advantage of both the interactivity and substantial resources of the internet. On-line registered nurse completion programs offer flexible, cost-effective, and easily accessible alternatives to traditional education. This article describes the application of adult learning theory for use in re-engineering courses for on-line instruction. Hardware and software needs, technical support, development of an instructional model, teaching-learning considerations, and program evaluation also are discussed.