Unity and power: lessons from baccalaureate entry

Education for nurses has been a contentious issue within and outside of the nursing profession since the American Nurses Association's 1965 support of the baccalaureate degree in nursing as basic educational criteria for the professional nurse (American Nurses Association, 1965). For 10 years, North Dakota has remained the only state to have achieved this educational goal, and North Dakota nurses have been able to defend this position against repeated challenges within the state since 1985. This article places nursing education within the context of the evolving, sweeping changes that are impacting all providers in the health care arena. The authors explain how and why North Dakota nurses were able to accomplish the standardization of nursing education for two levels of nurses: registered nurses and licensed practical nurses. The article describes the positive outcomes for nurses and clients that have occurred over the past 10 years.