The Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN), as the voice for Associate Degree Nursing (ADN), promotes the advancement of ADN graduates through the promotion of best practices in nursing education and academic progression. OADN supports the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM), The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health report recommendations dated 2010 and the Assessing Progress on the Institute of Medicine Report The Future of Nursing Report Brief dated 2015. These reports recommend increasing the proportion of bachelor prepared nurses (IOM, 2010, p. 3) and transforming education by supporting academic pathways towards a bachelor’s degree in nursing (IOM, 2015, p. 2). OADN’s continued leadership on these efforts led to the co-founding of the RWJF-supported National Education in Progression in Nursing (NEPIN) Collaborative, with a goal of 90% of new ADN graduates achieving the BSN or higher by 2025.

OADN’s mission is to provide leadership in nursing education to support the health and well-being of the communities served by community-based nursing education programs. As the national advocate for over 1,100 associate degree nursing programs across the country, OADN works to advance excellence in nursing education and community college pathways into registered nursing careers. The institutions that OADN represents educate over 50% of all newly licensed professional registered nurses (RN), an average of 81,000 annually. OADN stakeholders’ programs frequently include licensed practical nursing (LPN) programs and LPN-RN transition programs, as well.

A key strategic priority of OADN is to advance Associate Degree Nursing through the promotion of best practices in nursing education and academic progression. Every associate degree nurse should have access to pursue additional nursing education. In many areas of the country, access to education beyond the associate degree is still a challenge. As a result, OADN supports innovative models to accomplish a seamless transition for academic progression. A few opportunities include:

• Articulation/Consortium agreements
• Dual admission and/or co-enrollment
• Pre-licensure “partnership models”
• RN to BSN conferral at the community college

As recommendations are developed for the Future of Nursing 2020-2030 report, OADN recognizes the significant progress that has been made to achieve the recommendations from the original Future of Nursing Report but also understands more is to be accomplished. OADN also believes that the nursing community must lead in a unified approach to assure seamless academic progress for all nurses at all levels of the educational process. Working together will facilitate the unity of the nursing profession.

 

References

APIN final program summary and report (2017)

Institute of Medicine, Assessing progress on the institute of medicine report the future of nursing (2015). Report in Brief. Retrieved from http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2015/AssessingFON_re leaseslides/Nursing-Report-in-brief.pdf

Institute of Medicine. (2010). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health report recommendations. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press.

National Council of State Boards of Nursing. 2018 NCLEX Pass Rates. https://www.ncsbn.org/12171.htm

 

Approved by the OADN Board of Directors: August 17, 2012
Updated and approved by the OADN Board of Directors: February 11, 2020

 

Download a PDF of this position statement.