Scaling Up to Meet the IOM Recommendations (80% BSN by 2020): Sustaining Quality With Growth

Grand Canyon University (GCU) educates over 6,500 registered nurse (RN)-bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) and almost 1,000 pre-licensure nursing students every year. To create a system with excellent student learning outcomes and high faculty satisfaction takes vision and organizational structures that allow growth without compromising quality. Nurse leaders are very familiar with the 2010 Institute Of Medicine's (IOM) recommendation that 80% of all RNs should have a BSN degree, or higher, by 2020.1 This recommendation was based on findings from numerous studies that demonstrated increased education of RNs led to improved quality patient outcomes. As a consequence of these findings, healthcare organizations began to determine the educational mix of their own RN staff and to create systematic plans to meet the IOM recommendation.