The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Nursing, Chapel Hill, NC.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Nursing, Chapel Hill, NC.
Nurs Outlook. 2018 Jan-Feb;66(1):46-55. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2017.07.007. Epub 2017 Jul 20.
A more diverse registered nurse (RN) workforce is needed to provide health care in North Carolina (NC) and nationally. Studies describing licensed practical nurse (LPN) career transitions to RNs are lacking.
To characterize the occurrence of LPN-to-RN professional transitions; compare key characteristics of LPNs who do and do not make such a transition; and compare key characteristics of LPNs who do transition in the years prior to and following their transition.
A retrospective design was conducted using licensure data on LPNs from 2001 to 2013. Cohorts were constructed based on year of graduation.
Of 39,398 LPNs in NC between 2001 and 2013, there were 3,161 LPNs (8.0%) who had a LPN-to-RN career transition between 2001 and 2013. LPNs were more likely to transition to RN if they were male; from Asian, American Indian, or other racial groups; held an associate or baccalaureate degree in their last year as an LPN (or their last year in the study if they did not transition); worked in a hospital inpatient setting; worked in the medical-surgical nursing specialty; and were from a rural area.
Our findings indicate that the odds of an LPN-to-RN transition were greater if LPNs were: male; from all other racial groups except white; of a younger age at their first LPN licensure; working in a hospital setting; working in the specialty of medical-surgical nursing; employed part-time; or working in a rural setting during the last year as an LPN.
This study fills an important gap in our knowledge of LPN-to-RN transitions. Policy efforts are needed to incentivize: LPNs to make a LPN-to-RN transition; educational entities to create and communicate curricular pathways; and employers to support LPNs in making the transition.
北卡罗来纳州（NC）乃至全国都需要更多多元化的注册护士（RN）来提供医疗保健服务。缺乏描述执业护士（LPN）向 RN 过渡的职业的研究。
描述 LPN 到 RN 的职业过渡的发生情况；比较有和没有进行这种过渡的 LPN 的关键特征；并比较在过渡前后几年进行过渡的 LPN 的关键特征。
使用 2001 年至 2013 年的 LPN 执照数据进行回顾性设计。根据毕业年份构建队列。
在 2001 年至 2013 年期间，NC 有 39398 名 LPN，其中有 3161 名 LPN（8.0%）在 2001 年至 2013 年期间进行了 LPN 到 RN 的职业过渡。如果 LPN 是男性；来自亚洲、美国印第安人或其他种族群体；在其最后一年作为 LPN 持有副学士或学士学位（或如果他们没有过渡，在他们最后一年的学习中）；在医院住院环境中工作；从事外科护理专业；并且来自农村地区，则更有可能过渡到 RN。
我们的研究结果表明，如果 LPN 是男性；来自白人以外的所有其他种族群体；首次获得 LPN 执照的年龄较小；在医院环境中工作；从事外科护理专业；兼职工作；或在最后一年作为 LPN 在农村地区工作，那么他们过渡到 RN 的可能性更大。
这项研究填补了我们对 LPN 到 RN 过渡知识的重要空白。需要政策努力来激励：LPN 进行 LPN 到 RN 的过渡；教育机构创建和传播课程途径；以及雇主支持 LPN 进行过渡。
