Menu
More results...
More results...
As our population’s need for nursing care changes, nurses must also be prepared to plan for and deliver care while leading health care into the future.
Academic Progression in Nursing (APIN) started in 2012 when the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) awarded grants to nine state nursing workforce centers, including Washington State’s WCN. Through the grant, the RWJF aimed to advance recommendations in the IOM’s Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health report towards the building of a more highly educated, diverse nursing workforce. The grant was coordinated through the Center to Champion Nursing in America, an initiative of AARP, the AARP Foundations, and the RWJF.
The RWJF APIN grant strongly focused on the IOM’s recommendation of increasing the percentage of nurses with a BSN or higher degree to 80 percent by 2020 and to increase diversity in the nursing workforce to strengthen equity in health care delivery.
The RWJF APIN grant to WCN closed in 2016, however, the important work of APIN to improve academic progression in nursing in Washington state continues and is currently supported under the WCN’s grant from the Washington State Department of Health.
APIN goals include:
As of 2020, 63% of surveyed nurses have received a BSN or higher degree. Although we have made progress, we are short of the IOM’s goal in this area. However, when we look at the data by age group, we can see the impact of APIN’s work in nurses between the ages of 19-24, this age group has achieved the IOM’s goal with 81.4% of them receiving a BSN or higher degree. This is according to the results of the survey, Washington State’s Registered Nurse Workforce:
Results of a 2018 Survey report released by WCN and the UW Center for Health Workforce Studies, which showed the trend is moving towards a higher educated nursing workforce in our state.
APIN identifies benefits of nurses receiving a BSN or higher degrees as:
APIN identifies common barriers to nurses receiving a BSN or higher degree as:
Foster collaboration to ensure nurses have access to higher levels of education and achievement. NEPIN’s goal is to have 1 million incumbent and 90% of new ADN graduates to the BSN or higher by 2025.
The National Education Progression in Nursing’s latest Whitepaper: Equity, Achievement & Thriving In Nursing Academic Progression, discusses the need to address the lack of diversity in nursing if the nursing workforce is to meet the needs of patients and reduce health disparities for vulnerable populations. It also gives clear and implementable strategies for achieving this goal.
“Schools of nursing and employers of nurses should implement institutional and organizational efforts to achieve diversity, equity and thriving in nursing education and practice settings. A strategic plan that addresses diversity, equity, inclusion and cultural proficiency, is essential and must be adopted across all aspects of the organization including teaching, research, service and practice. The plan must include tactics needed for goal attainment and financial and human resources. The plan must also contain methods for tracking the progress toward achieving the specified diversity goals for the organization.”
Open Whitepaper here.
