Abstract
Nursing shortages continue to plague our profession. It is projected that the nation will face a nursing shortage of 78,610 full time nurses in 2025 (National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, 2022). Nursing graduates are also leaving the profession prematurely (Tate, 2024). In 2025, approximately 22.3% of registered nurses (RNs) left their positions within the first year of work (NSI Nursing Solutions, Inc., 2025). Leaders in nursing education continue to seek novel methods to increase the number of practice-ready graduates. The need to better provide graduates with the necessary knowledge and skills for early practice presented an opportunity to create an innovative solution. An accelerated, second-degree undergraduate pathway was developed using an apprenticeship model at a major university in the southeastern United States (U.S). This pathway is the first of its kind in the U.S., pairing an accelerated curriculum with an apprenticeship model, establishing an academic clinical practice partnership (Gentry et al., 2025). Accelerated students are paired with practicing RNs, combining the tenets from traditional and cognitive apprenticeships with supervised, mentored clinical experiences (Gentry et al., 2025). Students complete a rigorous, 12-month undergraduate nursing curriculum while simultaneously completing over 1,000 hours of individualized clinical training. The model provides students with rich, one-on-one mentoring with expert clinicians, allowing a unique window into how expert nurses strategize patient care. Results from the first three cohorts of pathway graduates demonstrate practice readiness, reporting a 100% National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) first time pass rate and a high program retention rate at 92% (Gentry et al., 2025). Health care system leaders report an 80% to 83% 2-year post-graduation retention rate (Gentry et al., 2025). By immersing students in the clinical setting throughout the curriculum, program graduates demonstrate high levels of job satisfaction and long-term retention, reducing the financial burden of onboarding new nurses and increasing the quality of care. Amidst a pervasive nursing shortage, continued efforts and strategies are needed to build the nursing profession. The accelerated apprenticeship model provides an innovative option for second-degree students seeking to earn a bachelor of science in nursing.
Notes
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References:
Collins, A. (2006). The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences. In K. Sawyer (Ed). Cognitive Apprenticeship (pp.47 – 60). Cambridge University Press
Gentry, S., Niles, L., & Smith, M. (2025, October 13). An apprenticeship practice partnership model: An innovative, collaborative solution. Nurse Educator. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000002014
Kavanagh, J. M., & Szweda, C. (2017, March/April). A crisis in competency: The strategic and ethical imperative to assessing new graduate nurses’ clinical reasoning. Nursing Education Perspectives, 38(2), 57-62. https://doi.org/10.1097/0.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000112
National Center for Health Workforce Analysis. (2022, November). Nurse workforce projections, 2020-2035 [Fact sheet]. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. https://bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bureau-health-workforce/Nursing-Workforce-Projections-Factsheet.pdf
NSI Nursing Solutions, Inc. (2025, March). 2025 NSI National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report. https://www.nsinursingsolutions.com/Documents/Library/NSI_National_Health_Care_Retention_Report.pdf
Tate, S. (2024, May 31). Registered nurses leaving the profession in the first two years. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 29(2), Manuscript 6. https://doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol29No02Man06
Sigma Membership
Beta Phi at-Large
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Translational Research/Evidence-based Practice
Keywords:
Baccalaureate Nursing Education, Nursing Education, Academic Programs, Institutional Cooperation, Apprenticeship Programs, Nursing Supply and Demand, Nursing Shortage
Recommended Citation
Niles, Lauren L.; Smith, Misty; Gentry, Sheila S.; Modi, Shikha; and Reynolds, Charles, "The Accelerated Apprenticeship Model: An Innovative, Collaborative Solution" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 41.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/41
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-07-23
The Accelerated Apprenticeship Model: An Innovative, Collaborative Solution
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Nursing shortages continue to plague our profession. It is projected that the nation will face a nursing shortage of 78,610 full time nurses in 2025 (National Center for Health Workforce Analysis, 2022). Nursing graduates are also leaving the profession prematurely (Tate, 2024). In 2025, approximately 22.3% of registered nurses (RNs) left their positions within the first year of work (NSI Nursing Solutions, Inc., 2025). Leaders in nursing education continue to seek novel methods to increase the number of practice-ready graduates. The need to better provide graduates with the necessary knowledge and skills for early practice presented an opportunity to create an innovative solution. An accelerated, second-degree undergraduate pathway was developed using an apprenticeship model at a major university in the southeastern United States (U.S). This pathway is the first of its kind in the U.S., pairing an accelerated curriculum with an apprenticeship model, establishing an academic clinical practice partnership (Gentry et al., 2025). Accelerated students are paired with practicing RNs, combining the tenets from traditional and cognitive apprenticeships with supervised, mentored clinical experiences (Gentry et al., 2025). Students complete a rigorous, 12-month undergraduate nursing curriculum while simultaneously completing over 1,000 hours of individualized clinical training. The model provides students with rich, one-on-one mentoring with expert clinicians, allowing a unique window into how expert nurses strategize patient care. Results from the first three cohorts of pathway graduates demonstrate practice readiness, reporting a 100% National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) first time pass rate and a high program retention rate at 92% (Gentry et al., 2025). Health care system leaders report an 80% to 83% 2-year post-graduation retention rate (Gentry et al., 2025). By immersing students in the clinical setting throughout the curriculum, program graduates demonstrate high levels of job satisfaction and long-term retention, reducing the financial burden of onboarding new nurses and increasing the quality of care. Amidst a pervasive nursing shortage, continued efforts and strategies are needed to build the nursing profession. The accelerated apprenticeship model provides an innovative option for second-degree students seeking to earn a bachelor of science in nursing.
Description
This presentation will describe the development of an accelerated BSN program utilizing an apprenticeship model and clinical partnership, aimed at providing nurse educators with the tools to create similar programs at their institutions. The aim of this presentation is to share details outlining curriculum development, identify the necessary stakeholders for program implementation, and to present both successes and learned lessons from the first three cohorts of program graduates.