Project Accomplishments:

The Ohio Action Coalition (OAC) focused on building upon its initial Robert Wood Johnson Foundation State Implementation Program (SIP 3) work to further academic progression and remove barriers to nursing practice in the state.

Education

The Ohio Action Coalition focused on increasing the percentage of nurses holding Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees. That number increased from 53.8 percent in 2013 to 57.7 percent in 2015, according to the state’s licensure renewal data. Using a regional framework, the Action Coalition supported several nursing programs to develop seamless progression models that created options to allow nurses to complete their BSN degree more expeditiously than in previous years. In the Northeast regions, the models included shared curriculum models for one diploma-to-BSN and three programs for Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) to BSN programs. In the Northwest region, dual admission programs were created for two ADN-to-BSN programs and in the central region six models of ADN-to-BSN seamless progression were created. Four of the six project BSN programs increased their RN to BSN enrollment from fall 2016 to fall 2017 by 13 percent to 67 percent, exceeding the established five percent threshold.

The Ohio Action Coalition formed a partnership with the Center for Creative Instruction at the University of Toledo’s Information Technology Department to create a computer application using unique avatars to allow potential nursing students to choose a particular nursing pathway and predict their success in that category. The prototype for the gaming app has been completed and is in the pilot-testing phase at the time of grant completion. Information sessions attended by more than 175 participants were hosted and a flyer developed to market the application.

Workforce Data

The Action Coalition also analyzed registered nurse (RN) and advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) licensure renewal data from 2013 and 2015. They found that “perceived lack of professional need or personal choice” was the most reported barrier to BSN completion. To minimize the barriers, strategies for coordinating residency and education requirements were identified and developed including a health assessment competency to assure that the expectations of clinical practice are met and clinical orientation projects that can be utilized to meet college course requirements. Survey results showed that the most common incentive provided by Ohio hospitals to encourage nurses to continue their education is tuition reimbursement. New incentives offered include additional scholarships, increased tuition reimbursement, nurse extern programs, loan forgiveness, and program partnerships.

Leadership

Data from the Nurses on Board Coalition (NOBC) and data collected during the 2015 Ohio RN licensure renewal period regarding nurses serving on boards was determined to serve as the baseline data for this initiative. Using the NOBC baseline data, the number of nurses on boards increased from 203 in January to 2017 to 276 in July 2017. This increase of 73 nurses exceeds the goal to demonstrate 10 new board appointments during the grant period.

To ensure that nurses have the necessary skills to effectively serve on boards, the Ohio Action Coalition sponsored two workshops entitled “Nurses on Boards: Are You Ready to Serve?” where they covered topics from board competencies, financial reporting, and incorporated a mock board meeting.

They also created a toolkit based on the American Nurses Association Leadership Institute competencies to guide undergraduate nursing programs in mapping the leadership content in their curriculum.

Diversity

The OAC’s Diversity Workgroup analyzed data from the Ohio Board of Nursing’s (OBN) minimum data set, and based on the data, implemented strategies to address diversity issues in the nursing workforce. Two toolkits were created to assist nursing education programs and practice sites to increase diversity and inclusion in their recruitment and retention activities

Interprofessional Education and Collaboration

At the request of the OAC, the OBN added a question to the annual report from nursing education programs on the use of inter-professional education. According to the 2016 data available on the OBN website, only eight nursing programs reported offering an inter-professional education experience in their curriculum. Sessions on inter-professional education were offered at the 2016 and 2017 Ohio League for Nursing Education summits. Over 40 participants attended the sessions each year that exceeded the deliverable of at least 30 nurses. A web link for posting inter-professional education resources was added to the OAC website.

Resources:

• Ohio Produces Toolkit for Improving Recruitment and Retention
• Ohio Creates Toolkit for Integrating Competency-Based Leadership Education into Entry-Level RN Programs
• Ohio Creates Education Diversity Toolkit
• Ohio Releases Report of 2015 Licensure Renewal Data

Publications:

• Sharpnack P.A., Drennen, C., Bowles, W., Koffel, C., Salvador, D., Didion, J., “Pathways to BSN Education: Teamwork in Ohio.” Nursing Education Perspectives. 38(5): 243-249, 2017.

• Carissimi, K., Burger, J., (May 26, 2017) “Bridging the Gap: Seamless RN to BSN Degree Transitions,” OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing 22, No. 2. DOI: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol22No02PPT37