The California Collaborative Model for Nursing Education (CCMNE) is a seamless academic progression path from an Associate’s Degree to a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing that accelerates academic and career advancement for nurses. It provides increased access and opportunity for more newly licensed RNs to obtain a BSN degree at the start of their career as they enter practice.
The vision for the program was put forward by an extraordinary alliance of California nursing leaders in the 2008 White Paper on Nursing Education Redesign in California. The model includes dual enrollment into associate degree and bachelor’s nursing programs with completion of the BSN degree within one year following completion of the ADN degree. Programs have been implemented by 13 California state universities, 6 private universities, and 59 community colleges. The model also involves integrated curriculum and shared faculty. It prepares nurses for the increasing demands of providing care in diverse roles and practice settings, while positioning more RNs to consider obtaining masters and doctoral education.
“The Collaborative Nursing Education Continuum Model (CNECM) provides an engaging, efficient and seamless ADN-BSN curriculum pathway,” says Liz Close, PhD, RN, Professor and Retired Director, Post-Licensure BSN Program and CNECM Program at Sonoma State University. “The enthusiasm and commitment of community college and university faculty, administrators, education counselors and students has been extraordinary!”
Students report that the Collaborative Model has enabled them to find the jobs they are looking for after graduation and transition seamlessly into the workforce.
“I have a couple job offers in the works and they all are contingent on the BSN degree being completed,” says RN-to-BSN student Julie Case. “One is a Magnet hospital and I am completely thrilled about this opportunity. This wouldn’t have been a possibility without the ADN-BSN program.”
HealthImpact offers a CCMNE Resource Guide and advice to community colleges and bachelors degree nursing programs as they consider developing and sustaining an accelerated, streamlined approach to developing a collaborative model program. A Nursing Education Plan White Paper is also in development and will be available in spring 2016, with strategies and recommendations for academic progression.
A broad vision
The CCMNE core components go beyond what is required by California law (AB 1295, passed in 2009) or recommendations addressed in the Institute of Medicine Recommendations.
These include:
- Dual enrollment in both ADN and BSN programs to streamline student’s progression to BSN
- Sharing faculty across community college and university programs to increase student success
- A curriculum that supports completion of the BSN within one year of ADN graduation to more closely resemble the traditional 4-year BSN program plan