Teaching Accelerated Second-Degree Nursing Students: Educators From Across the United States Share Their Wisdom

PROBLEM: Over the past decade, there has been a proliferation of accelerated second-degree (ASD) nursing programs. These programs are designed to educate students with prior degrees in increasingly shorter periods of time than they have traditionally been educated. As a result, nurse educators and administrators in these programs need to tailor their approaches to best meet the educational needs of this unique cohort. METHODS: This qualitative study sought to elicit best practices from nursing faculty across the United States. Previous investigators primarily examined a limited number of programs from the same region. In this study, a roughly equal number of participants experienced in teaching ASD students from across the United States were recruited. Initially focus groups were conducted to form a semistructured interview guideline, which was then was used to guide participant interviews. FINDINGS: Results of the interview data were analyzed using standard qualitative research techniques of concept analyses. Themes that emerged were (a) extreme organization, (b) engage students through active listening, (c) mutual respect, (d) engage via life/work experience, (e) effective pedagogy adaptations, and (f) early immersion. CONCLUSION: The specifics of these themes will be useful in guiding faculty and program directors involved with ASD nursing students.