Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Education

Advisor

Dr. Amy Wilson

Abstract

The projected nurse workforce shortage and the need for nurses with bachelor's degree has increased the number of accelerated and online programs in nursing education. The evolving healthcare system demands registered nurses (RNs) to demonstrate critical thinking skills and evidence-based practice in varied healthcare settings. The purpose of this quantitative study was to analyze if academic variables, such as preadmission grade point average (GPA), predicted evidence-based skills and research utilization skills among students enrolled in the online RN to Bachelor of Science in nursing program. The theoretical foundations of this study was comprised of Knowles's adult learning theory, Benner's stages of clinical competence, and Facione's critical thinking concepts.. Archival data were retrieved from one university and analyzed using multiple linear regression, The results showed that the admission GPA predicts the evidence-based practice skills, research foundation skills, and the graduating GPA. However, there is an inverse relationship between the course grades of the Foundations of Nursing Research and the Quality and Safety through Evidence-Based Practice course. The social change impact of the study would be that students would be able to predict their academic success in the Foundations of Nursing Research and the Quality and Safety through Evidence-Based Practice course using this model. Admission personnel will be able to prepare students prior to enrollment by identifying their strengths and areas of strength.

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