The path to nurse registration

Summary m of this study was to identify factors promoting or impeding pre-registration degree level education at the first School of Nursing in Scotland offering transfer from diploma to degree programmes. tionnaire was used to collect data from third year student nurses (adult branch). This included an “attitude towards obtaining a degree” scale, developed using psychometric techniques to maximise reliability and validity. des were generally positive. The majority of participants believed obtaining a degree would help nurses develop their career and increase their professional status. However, the majority disagreed with views that obtaining a degree was essential to be a good nurse, would make nurses better at their jobs and would improve patient care provided by nurses. Only 25% believed obtaining a degree ought to be essential for all student nurses. -nine participants did not accept transfer to a degree programme. Of these, four-fifths reported this was due to the combined pressures of academic workload, family and work. None of these participants believed that obtaining a degree would make nurses better at their jobs. ry–practice divide seemed to exist whereby many participants did not relate increased degree knowledge to improved clinical practice.