Chapter 02: Pathways of Nursing Education
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. A faculty member explains to students that one concern of the American Nurses
... [Show More] Association’s
1965 position statement designating the baccalaureate degree (BSN) as the educational entry
point for nursing is that
a. diploma programs remain the most popular educational program for nurses.
b. it is difficult to monitor other programs for congruency with BSN programs.
c. multiple educational paths create confusion for the public and the profession.
d. some states are creating different licensure exams for different pathways.
ANS: C
The existence of multiple entry paths for nursing education is confusing both to the public and
to aspiring nursing students, who may have difficulty understanding and comprehending the
differences and what they mean.
Diploma programs have declined sharply in number, with only 47 programs remaining in the
United States in 2013.
The ANA does not monitor different programs to evaluate congruency with BSN programs.
States are not creating different licensure examinations for graduates of different programs.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Understand REF: 22
TOP: Integrated Process: Teaching/Learning MSC: NCLEX Client Needs: N/A
2. A hospital-based nursing administrator is responsible for the diploma nursing program
affiliated with that hospital. In deciding to keep the program open, the administrator develops
changes that address a major historical concern with this type of program. In doing so, the
administrator would most likely
a. arrange for faculty from the local college to teach science courses.
b. limit the hours students are expected to work in the hospital.
c. lower the tuition rate and apply for increased federal student grants.
d. require nursing faculty to be doctorally prepared to remain on staff.
ANS: B
Diploma students were traditionally expected to staff the hospital with which their program
was affiliated, often to the detriment of their educational experiences. This exploitation was
described in several important studies of nursing education.
Traditional diploma programs do not offer college credit, no matter who teaches the courses.
Diploma programs were expensive to operate and expensive to students, and this had a part in
their decreasing numbers. Federal funding (through a variety of means) is available for
individual students, and although it is administered by institutions, it is not granted to the
institution itself.
Requiring doctorally prepared faculty would not address an historic concern with diploma
education.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Apply TOP: Integrated Process: Teaching/Learning
MSC: NCLEX Client Needs: N/A
3. In analyzing trends within the profession that are correlated to the rise in baccalaureate
nursing (BSN) programs, the nurse historian would outline thata. degree inflation is contributing to the demand for BSN programs.
b. increased social status and pay correspond to education at the college level.
c. men in nursing demand an increase in BSN programs compared with other
programs.
d. the rise in doctorally prepared nurses corresponds to an increase in BSN programs.
ANS: D
BSN programs were often hampered by the lack of faculty prepared to teach at the collegiate
level, which led to a reluctance of colleges and universities to establish BSN programs.
Doctoral programs have been preparing nurse scholars and researchers, who have contributed
to nursing’s scientific backbone. The rise in these programs can be seen as a parallel
development with the rise in BSN programs.
The proliferation of advanced degrees in nursing is not the result of degree inflation; rather, it
is a response to the increased sophistication and complexity of the health care environment
today.
Although nurses today do enjoy better pay and improved social status than in the past, this
trend is not strongly correlated to the rise in BSN programs.
Men in nursing are not a driving force for the increase in BSN programs.
DIF: Cognitive Level: Analyze TOP: Integrated Process: Teaching/Learning [Show Less]