Responding to increasing RN demand: diversity and retention trends through an accelerated LVN-to-BSN curriculum

By providing accelerated licensed vocational nurses (LVN)-to-BSN academic mobility, our university addresses the nationwide nursing shortage, as well as concerns for retention, diversity, and career advancement. LVNs are committed to health care, are likely to remain working as nurses, and represent ethnic and racial minorities. However, LVNs differ from generic students and benefit from tailored curricula and educational strategies. Disadvantaged personal and academic backgrounds, lower grade point averages, cultural diversity, language challenges, age, life responsibilities, and learned LVN behaviors are considered in the development and implementation of this baccalaureate nursing (BSN) degree program. Strategies to build professional identity, reading comprehension, verbal and written articulation, critical thinking, and leadership skills are addressed. A combination of teaching strategies are used to address adult learner needs, including online and face-to-face projects and case studies. Mixing LVN-to-BSN and RN-to-BSN students benefits both and increases efficiency.