Senator Richard D. Roth’s (D-Riverside ) transformative More Pathways to Nursing legislation, Senate Bill (SB) 895, has passed the Senate Committee on Education on a 7-0, unanimous, bi-partisan vote. SB 895 creates a pilot program for a limited number of community college districts to offer an additional route for those nurses with associate degrees (ADN) to earn a Bachelor’s in Nursing Degree (BSN), which has increasingly become a requirement by more healthcare facilities in the state.
“The Committee’s vote is a significant step forward in expanding the opportunities and accessibility for a wide and diverse array of students to achieve a BSN,” said Roth. “The landscape of health care in our state has radically shifted over the years and we must find new and innovative ways to meet the demands of those changes, and our More Pathways to Nursing legislation does just that.”
“I am proud to join Senator Roth in authoring this important piece of legislation. By allowing select community college districts to offer a Bachelor’s in Nursing degree, we are making the nursing profession more accessible. For regions like mine that are historically underserved and continue to suffer from a healthcare workforce shortage, this program is a game changer. Associate Degree in Nursing graduates will have the opportunity to earn a Bachelor’s in Nursing close to home, as they provide critical healthcare services in their communities and care for their families” said Senator Anna Caballero (D-Merced).
While there is an overall shortage of registered nurses, whether ADNs or BSNs, there is also a need for more BSN-degreed nurses in the workplace. SB 895 is a path forward to help solve this problem and that path cuts right through our California Community Colleges. SB 895 creates a pilot program that will allow a limited number of community college ADN Registered Nurses (RN) who complete their degree program and pass the National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX), to secure the additional coursework necessary to earn the BSN degree at their community college. This supplements the work of existing public and private BSN programs by adding additional BSN degreed nurses to the workforce who are qualified to become supervisors and managers in healthcare facilities, and who are qualified to become Master’s or Doctorate degreed nurse practitioners in independent practice settings and nursing school faculty members.
“SB 895 presents a remarkable opportunity to combat the state’s nursing workforce crisis by tapping into the Associate Degree for Nursing (ADN) infrastructure at community colleges,” wrote Sonya Christian, Chancellor, California Community Colleges, in her letter of support for SB 895 to the Senate Committee on Education. “We graduate approximately 4,600 ADNs every year and contribute 21% of the state’s demand for nurses. Yet, a nursing workforce crisis exists, in part, because California’s nursing schools do not have the capacity to meet employer demand for nurses with a baccalaureate degree. Approximately 20,000 qualified students are denied admission to four-year university programs each year. SB 895 provides many of these students with an opportunity to earn a baccalaureate degree in nursing, which will help the state eliminate regional health disparities.”
“California’s community colleges have historically addressed community needs through education, workforce development, and industry relationships. SB 895 enables those students who have completed their ADN, a way to earn their BSN within the community colleges,” said Larry Galizio, President & CEO of the Community College League of California. “The League is grateful to Sen. Roth for his leadership with SB 895 and the partners who have joined us to champion affordable and accessible nursing education.”
“As a nurse and union President, I witness firsthand the many challenges faced by community college nurses striving to attain their BSN degrees,” said Charmaine Morales, President of the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals. “Many of our nurses at UNAC/UHCP earned their ADNs at community colleges, myself included, and I did it while juggling the responsibilities of raising 4 children. Many former ADN nurse members have shared with me the arduous journey to secure their BSNs. Hindered by limited slots in CSU programs; many were compelled to pursue private schooling, at more expense. These financial burdens, coupled with lost earnings due to delays in matriculation, have plunged countless nurses into dire financial straits. SB 895 offers a beacon of hope by empowering nurses within the pilot program to remain in their community and serve their local communities, fostering a more diverse and representative nursing workforce.”
“Health care is about people taking care of people,” said Carmela Coyle, President & CEO of the California Hospital Association. “Senator Roth’s SB 895, More Pathways to Nursing, would bring more people who are called to serve others into the health care family by expanding opportunities for ADN nurses to earn a BSN through community colleges. This is not only common-sense legislation that begins to chip away at California’s nursing shortage, but also helps make major strides toward health equity and representation within our state’s invaluable health care workforce.”
For over 40 years, the community college ADN has been the basic credential requirement for employment as an RN in a healthcare facility; and the California State University, the University of California, and private nursing schools have historically awarded BSNs to those who elect to pursue a four-year degree. However, the healthcare workforce requirements are changing – hospitals are increasingly preferring and requiring a BSN degree for their nurses. In 2010, the Institute of Medicine issued its Future of Nursing report, which contained a set of recommendations, including the recommendation that the proportion of RNs with a BSN degree in healthcare facilities increase to 80% by 2020. Obviously, that goal was not met, but the trend continues to move in that direction. In California, a 2021 Health Impact report found that 18% of California hospitals surveyed stated that a BSN was required for employment – twice the percentage noted in 2017 – and 54.3% reported a preference for hiring BSNs.
Since students are already licensed RNs, no supervised clinical placement slots are required for this program. By supplementing the work of our existing public and private BSN programs in this way additional BSN degreed nurses will be added to the workforce, nurses who are qualified to become supervisors and managers in health care facilities and who are qualified to become Master’s or Doctorate degreed nurse practitioners in independent practice settings and as nursing school faculty members.
“No one seems to disagree—the public, the privates, the community colleges, the health care community—that we need more credentialed nurses now and in the future,” said Roth in his closing statement to the Education Committee. “The studies and surveys, the workplace, and the growing trend to prefer BSN students in hospital clinical placement programs right now all tell us that. So, given our current and future budget challenges and the high cost of setting up and expanding undergraduate nursing programs—both in terms of the cost of the equipment and brick-and-mortar facilities and the low faculty-to-student ratios required, why not try using the underutilized team member with campuses most accessible to students? One with a core cadre of fully trained and licensed ADNs ready to earn the relatively few humanities and leadership course units remaining for the BSN credential at their local community college as they perform critical health care delivery duties in our local communities. It is critical that we use all the tools in our toolbox to address the need. The time to try it is now.”