Rhetoric or Reality? RN to BSN Graduates Returning to the Bedside

This article reports on a study designed to illuminate the motivation and future goals of RN to BSN degree completion students, specifically to identify whether RNs returning to an online completion program were doing so with the intention of continuing to practice at the bedside. The findings indicate that students are seeking further education for five reasons: 1) to gain entry into a nurse practitioner program, 2) to complete a master's degree program in general, 3) to find opportunities in management, 4) to assume a position as a nurse educator, or 5) to take on a leadership position in general.