WILLIAM DONALD SCHAEFER, Governor Ch. 602

CHAPTER 602

(Senate Bill 703)

AN ACT concerning

Nurses - Transition Courses

FOR the purpose of specifying that a registered nurse who
graduated prior to a certain date from a Diploma Nursing
Program or Associate Degree Nursing Program may take certain
transition courses to validate prior learning, prior to
beginning a certain baccalaureate program; specifying
certain requirements and conditions; providing for the
termination of this Act; and generally relating to
transition courses for certain nurses.

Preamble

WHEREAS, Beginning in 1985 a series of 3 transition courses
were developed by the Commission of Nursing Education and offered
to registered nurses who graduated before 1979 from Diploma and
Associate Degree programs for the validation of prior learning to
facilitate entry into a baccalaureate program without repeating
course work previously taken; and

WHEREAS, These transition courses are offered at 5 schools
of nursing in Maryland; and

WHEREAS, Hundreds of nurses have completed the 3 transition
courses and gone on to attain a bachelor's degree; and

WHEREAS, Over 417 students have registered for the 1988 fall
semester to take advantage of these transition courses; and

WHEREAS, Maryland is experiencing a shortage of registered
nurses in hospitals and nursing homes; and

WHEREAS, Maryland is working hard to retain nurses in the
profession and recognize the validity of their former course
work; and

WHEREAS, There is an urgent need to continue the series of
transition courses as part of Maryland's continuing effort to
alleviate the shortage of registered nurses and to retain nurses
in the profession; now, therefore,

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That:

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