The One Day per Week Nursing Program: A web-assisted (hybrid) Associate Degree Nursing Program

Ocean County College received a New Jersey Health Initiatives grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to develop a web-assisted (hybrid) education model. By creating New Jersey's first web-assisted Associate Degree Nursing Program, the model seeks to address shortages of RNs in the hospital setting. This program allows those currently employed in the health care field to complete an RN program by attending class only 1 day per week (primarily on-site in host health care institutions) supplemented by online instruction. The initial results demonstrate a higher level of performance in the One Day per Week Nursing Program when compared with a group of students in the traditional nursing program who had nearly identical results on the entrance test (Test of Essential Academic Skills). Despite the influence of factors outside the program, the results do indicate early success and the likelihood that the program will meet its primary objectives.