Registered nurses who do and who do not pursue the baccalaureate degree in nursing (BSN)

This study described the registered nurses (RNs) who do and the RNs who do not pursue a BSN. The constructs of motivational orientations, Locus-of-Control, and perceived educational barriers guided the study. The subjects consisted of 102 RNs who lived/worked in the same geographical region. Fifty-three of the subjects were enrolled in a BSN program and included three male students. Forty-nine of the subjects were not enrolled. On average the RNs pursuing a BSN were younger, employed fewer years, and a slightly lower percentage held management positions than the RNs not pursuing a BSN. A pilot study aided in the design of the questionnaire for this study which consisted of four parts; the modified 48-item Education Participation Scale, the modified Reid-Ware Three-factor Locus-of-Control instrument, a modified barriers-to-education section, and a personal profile questionnaire. Follow-up interviews were conducted individually with four randomly selected RNs from each group. RNs pursuing a BSN identified barriers to education that were program or school related. In contrast, RNs not pursuing a BSN identified barriers to education that were personal i.e., cost. Both groups identified "time required to complete the program" as one of the three most notable barriers. RNs pursuing a BSN do so for Professional Advancement and Self-esteem. RNs pursuing a BSN indicated they had more control in their successes or failures and in the school and work setting than did RNs not pursuing a BSN. Motivational orientations (Professional Advancement and Self-esteem) and Internal Locus-of-Control (Social-System and Fatalism) were correlated with group membership of RNs pursuing a BSN. External Locus-of-Control Fatalism and age were correlated with group membership of RNs not pursuing a BSN. Recommendations included further research and a RN-BSN program to reduce identified barriers under the control of the educational system.