LPN to ADN/BSN: accelerated curriculum for LPN's

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Curriculum Development
• Advanced Placement Programs

Background:

• Established nursing programs typically offer Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) and Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing (BSN) tracks.
• Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) often seek pathways to advance their education to ADN or BSN levels.
• Traditional pathways may not efficiently recognize LPNs' prior knowledge and skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, implement, and evaluate a flexible education track for LPNs within existing ADN and BSN programs.
• To facilitate LPNs' achievement of ADN or BSN degrees by reducing time and/or credit requirements.
• To develop and implement a mechanism for awarding credit for previous nursing knowledge and skills.

Main Methods:

• Development of a special project focused on advanced placement for LPNs.
• Curricular modifications to shorten the educational duration and credit load for LPNs.
• Implementation of a system for granting credit based on prior nursing experience and competencies.

Main Results:

• Successful design and implementation of an LPN-to-ADN advanced placement track over the first three project years.
• Expansion of the advanced placement initiative to include LPN-to-BSN pathways in years four and five.
• Demonstrated feasibility of awarding credit for prior learning, streamlining the degree attainment process for LPNs.

Conclusions:

• Flexible education tracks significantly improve access and efficiency for LPNs pursuing higher nursing degrees.
• Advanced placement models, including credit for prior learning, are effective in accelerating career progression for nurses.
• This project provides a scalable model for nursing programs to integrate and support LPNs in achieving ADN and BSN qualifications.