The Institute of Medicine has called for an increase in the diversity of the registered nurse (RN) workforce as well as an increase in the percentage of registered nurses who have a baccalaureate degree. A prior study has indicated that 33% of registered nurses who transitioned from licensed practical nurses (LPNs) between 2001 and 2013 were from underrepresented groups, suggesting that promoting these career transitions may be effective for fulfilling the Institute of Medicine’s recommendations.
This brief describes a study of LPN to RN career transitions to examine the factors associated with higher rates of transition and identify factors that policy interventions could target to increase the rate of these career transitions.