Baccalaureate Nursing Education Experiences of African-Born Nurses in the United States.

BACKGROUND

African-born nurses are valuable members of the U.S. nursing workforce. The majority begin their nursing education in community colleges and practice as licensed practical nurses/vocational nurses (LPN/VNs) and RNs before obtaining their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. For African-born nursing students, the environment of 4-year institutions, although exciting and promising, may be overwhelming and challenging.

METHOD

In this qualitative descriptive study, 25 African-born nurses who graduated from accredited RN-to-BSN programs over a period of 5 years were interviewed. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Several factors including flexible curricular designs and helpful campus resources supported students' educational experiences. Factors such as financial difficulties and difficult work-family-school balances challenged them.

CONCLUSION

The BSN curriculum is especially rigorous and demanding for foreign-born minority students. Such programs must provide appropriate resources to support students who are new to U.S. education system. [J Nurs Educ. 2019;58(5):281-289.].