Mixed messages: Hospital practices that serve as disincentives for associate degree–prepared nurses to return to school

Nearly 80% of associate’s degree–prepared nurses do not return to school for a more advanced degree in nursing, which is an issue of concern to many nursing leaders. This interpretive phenomenological study investigates what influences associate’s degree–prepared nurses to refrain from continuing their professional education and obtain a baccalaureate or higher-level degree. Although these nurses generally wished they had a higher degree, they did not feel pursuing one was necessary. They did not perceive that their standard of patient care would change with further professional training involved in obtaining a higher educational degree. Furthermore, they did not perceive any distinctions in professional ability between themselves and colleagues with more advanced nursing degrees. The culture of service health care organizations in which associate’s degree–prepared nurses are employed, as well as other factors, are likely directly responsible for the practicing nurses’ lack of appreciation for the relevancy and rewards of returning to school.