Research Topic

Although my last paper was on men entering traditionally female occupations such as education and nursing, that isn't necessarily my true research interest. I just thought it was an interesting spin on gender issues that we all encounter in the workplace. I suppose it kind of gets under my skin that men rise to the top of nursing and education.

My true interest however is examining the multiple pathways into nursing, specifically examining traditional versus second-degree nursing students. Traditional nsg. students are those that go to college right out of high school and major in nursing. They may also include change of major students, but for they most part they are your typical college student today. The other group is the second-degree nsg student. These are nsg students that have a bachelors degree in another field and are returning to college to pursuit a career in nursing. It is speculated that second-degree studnets are different from traditional students and I would like to see if they are. Areas of comparison would include demographics, support systems, learning styles, academeic success (prior, during, and at completion of program of study), licensure (NCLEX) pass rates, and nsg unit entry level upon gtraduation (peds, OB, psych, med-surg, ICU, etc).

Any insight you could all lend me would be appreciated. Have you encountered second-degree students in your professional areas?