N108: Transition to the Registered Professional Nurse

N108: Transition to the Registered Professional Nurse Role Study Guide of 171 programs began in the 1950s as a way to train licensed practical nurses. They became the source for bedside nurses. The LPN training lasts for a period of one year to eighteen months. Most of today’s educational programs stress clinical experience, primarily in structured care settings, such as hospitals and long-term care facilities. Students are taught basic nursing skills, basic therapeutic knowledge, and introductory content from biological and behavioral sciences to correlate with clinical practice. Usually one third of the time is spent in the classroom and two thirds in clinical practice. The educational preparation is offered in a variety of settings, such as trade or technical schools, hospitals, junior or community colleges, at a limited number of online courses in colleges and universities (with the down side of limited hands-on experience), or at independent agencies. Licensed practical nurses typically work in hospitals or acute and long-term facilities, and may work in clinics and urgent care centers. Many hospitals are now requiring a nursing degree and not employing licensed practical nurses. All states license practical nurses, but some protect the title of LPN only. This means that a person could do the same work without the title. Programs for LPN to achieve RN status are called career ladder programs. Early Diploma Programs Hospital-based training schools began during the late 1800s and were the earliest type of nursing education, offering one to two year apprenticeships. The New England Hospital for Women opened the first nurse training program with five probationers in 1872. The early 1900s saw an increase in these diploma programs, which remained an accepted mode of education before WWII. The hospitals in which these nursing programs were located found them to be advantageous economically. By the late 1940s and early 1950s, hospital-based schools began to affiliate with colleges and universities and added general education and requirements to their curriculum, such as anatomy, physiology, sociology, and psychology. They also began to receive guidance and accreditation from the National League of Nursing, and today have sound educational programs and vary in length from 27 to 36 months. Students receive a strong emphasis on clinical experiences, as well as in nursing management. Before the 1970s, diploma schools were a popular avenue to nursing education with over 800 schools in operation. Fewer than 100 are in operation today and comprise less than 10% of all basic RN education programs. Many have merged into local community colleges and university settings offering an associate or baccalaureate degree. Associate Degree Programs The movement toward associate degree education began in 1952. Today, associate degree nursing programs prepare more graduates for licensure as RNs than do any other programs, and comprise over one half of all students enrolled in prelicensure RN programs. Associate degree programs have helped to solve the nursing shortages of the 1960s, 1980s, and today. In 1951, Mildred Montag published a dissertation titled “The Education of Nursing Technicians.” Montag proposed the education of a nursing technician who would serve in a role between the professional nurse and the practical nurse. ©2017 Achieve Test Prep Page 29

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