Abstract: Baccalaureate-prepared registered nurses (RNs) are poised for leadership in health care. The recent call by professional organizations for nurses to be educated and to practice at the extent of their education has led to a dramatic increase in the number of bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) programs and, consequently, BSN graduates.1-3 The National League for Nursing, American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), American Nurses Association, and American Organization of Nurse Executives have called for an increase in enrollment of RNs in BSN programs and also for nurse educators to work with clinical partners to develop innovative ways to advance the number of RNs with BSN preparation.3
To meet this need, a Midwest consortium consisting of 8 campuses created an online RN-to-BSN program. The program has been widely successful and has embraced an innovative curriculum based on the use of electronic portfolios (e-portfolios) for documentation of student assignments and learning, overall program evaluation, and student professional development. The intent of the consortium was to pool educational resources and to revitalize and offer the existing RN-to-BSN program statewide to meet health care providers’ needs for more BSN-prepared nurses. Faculty with online educational experience met to develop an innovative learner-centered curriculum that integrated the AACN Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice 4 with a focus on the learning needs of adult learners and included experiences that were creative, flexible, and meaningful in the context of students’ current practice as an RN. The program remains successful and has grown from a beginning of 50 students statewide to 700 year to date.