Exploring the Development of Writing Abilities and Writing Confidence in RN-BSN Students

The purpose of the study was to explore students' writing abilities throughout the online RN-BSN program at a large urban university in the Southwest. The aims of the study were: 1) explore how students' writing abilities, confidence in writing, and ability to locate resources change throughout the online RN-BSN program, 2) identify which aspects of writing students consider to be their strengths and/or challenges, and 3) explore which factors predict how well students write, their confidence in writing, and their ability to locate resources. After obtaining IRB approval, an invitation to participate in the study was sent to students enrolled in four different courses within the RN-BSN program. Students who chose to participate completed a 16-item questionnaire in which they rated their writing abilities, confidences, and skills, indicated strengths and challenges in their writing, and skills in locating evidence-based resources. An improvement was noted in students' self-rated academic writing confidence, professional writing confidence, internet reference skills, and library reference skills. The number of years as a registered nurse predicted overall writing ability and academic writing confidence.