Competencies of liberal education in post R.N. baccalaureate students

This article reports on the first phase of an ongoing longitudinal study designed to examine the competencies of liberal education as demonstrated in the personal and professional lives of post R.N. students returning to university to earn a baccalaureate degree in nursing by means of distance education. After one year of study at the baccalaureate level, significant differences were found in scores of the competencies of liberal education as demonstrated in the professional lives of the post R.N. subjects. There were no significant differences noted in competencies demonstrated in the personal lives of the subjects. The study contributes to the small but growing body of literature which is studying the impact of a liberal education on Post R.N. learners.