Assessing Registered Nurse – Baccalaureate Degree Overall Program Outcomes (RNBP Program)
Barbara Ann M. Messina

Abstract
Program evaluation is an essential component of the academic process and necessary to ensure the integrity of academic programs. Overall program outcomes evaluation of RNBP programs is particularly challenging. Employment data and/or pass rates of national licensure exams which are usually employed as benchmarks of overall program outcome evaluation in baccalaureate degree programs cannot be utilized because RNBP programs typically require students to have a minimum of 1 year experience as a practicing RN prior to entrance into the program. A basic tenet of the State University of New York School Nursing at Stony Brook (SBU/SON) is upon graduation the graduate will be able to synthesize and translate theoretical and empirical knowledge gained from the various disciplines of study into clinical practice. Hence, the graduates will demonstrate critical thinking (Bloom, 1956; Facione, 1990). Therefore, critical thinking was selected as a benchmark to determine overall outcome evaluation for the SBU/SON RNBP program.

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