Avoiding bad connection: Orientation phone calls foster student-faculty connection in an RN-BSN program

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Online Learning
• Student Support Services

Background:

• Registered nurses (RNs) often withdraw from RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN) programs due to work-family balance challenges and unclear course expectations.
• Nontraditional students benefit from strong faculty connections and clear orientation to coursework.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of one-on-one, script-guided orientation phone calls for RN-BSN students.
• To determine if these calls provide valuable programmatic information and establish faculty connection.

Main Methods:

• Six RN-BSN faculty conducted 108 orientation phone calls for newly enrolled online RN-BSN students.
• Calls aimed to introduce program expectations and foster faculty connectedness.
• Student surveys assessed the value of the orientation calls using Likert scale and open-ended questions.

Main Results:

• 94% of students reported feeling a "sense of connectedness" with faculty after the orientation call.
• 95% of students agreed the call provided necessary information for success in their first course.
• High student agreement on the value of personalized orientation.

Conclusions:

• One-on-one orientation calls are effective for delivering program information to remote RN-BSN students.
• The conversational format enhances faculty availability and student connectedness.
• This method supports student success in online nursing programs.