Feasibility of Offering MS Nursing Program at Visayas State University

France Allan Cavite*, Phoebe Lynn Calungsod, Janet Alexis A. De los Santos

College of Nursing, Visayas State University, ViSCA, City of Baybay, 6521 Leyte, Philippines

*Corresponding Author’s Email: franceallan.cavite@vsu.edu.ph

ABSTRACT

Background: All academic institutions strive to provide competent programs and produce highly qualified graduates who can eventually compete in the local and international arenas. A feasibility study examines the viability of a project to check its success rate and make sure that the program meets the needs of its stakeholders.

Objective: The objective of the study is to assess the practicality of offering a master’s degree program for nurses in the region and to evaluate the potential of the proposed program to respond to the needs of those pursuing graduate studies.

Methods: A quantitative research design that was supplemented by qualitative responses was employed. The data was gathered using a convenience sampling technique, and the primary focus was on registered nurses in the healthcare industry. Descriptive statistics were utilised in the data processing and analysis of the results.

Results: The intention to open a graduate program is relevant to the needs of working professionals. The results revealed that VSU meets the demand for nurses across regions, and this will potentially help nurse researchers develop, carry out, and support educational initiatives for graduate schools.

Conclusion: The study shows that a significant number of nurses are interested in enrolling in a graduate program and they express their determination to achieve this goal, which shows that VSU meets the need.

Keywords: Feasibility; Graduate School; Master of Science in Nursing; Nursing; Preference

INTRODUCTION

When the Visayas State University College of Nursing (VSU-CN) was founded in 2007, it had already achieved a number of significant milestones in the development of the nation's nursing profession. Many recognitions have been issued by the government and private agencies in recognition of the success of producing highly skilled and research-prepared nurses who are competitive in the international healthcare arena. Additionally, in 2018, the Accrediting Agency for Chartered Colleges and Universities (AACCUP) awarded Level II accreditation to the BS Nursing program.

Offering a graduate-level education program is a good practice of curricular upscaling for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that have satisfactorily achieved certification from accrediting bodies. To ensure that the program offering is relevant and responsive to the needs of its future stakeholders, it is essential to provide evidence-based data to anchor the strategies and implementation.

The only location in the area where graduate nursing programs are available is Tacloban City, where a private HEI offers a master's degree in nursing administration. Due to the lack of options for advanced learning in the province, the VSU College of Nursing decided to gauge interest in nursing graduate studies. This study aimed to determine the viability of VSU offering a master's degree program in the region.

Graduate Education Program in Nursing

The VSU Graduate School strives for excellence in graduate education for regional growth and rural development. It provides graduate and post-graduate degree programs for professional advancement and development. VSUCN is eager to offer a master's degree program in order to compete with the quest for global excellence.

An advanced degree creates doors for higher opportunities in knowledge expansion, such as instructing employment and improving client care abilities. It will assist the nurse in developing as a leader, who will then boost the organization by coaching other healthcare professionals (Oldland et al., 2022; Macdiarmid et al., 2021; Krishnamoorthy, Muthuveloo & Ping, 2020; Vazquez-Calatayud, Errasti-Ibarrondo & Choperena, 2021). However, earning an advanced degree was complicated by management, educational, and personal constraints (Alavi, Nabizadeh-Gharghozar & Ajorpaz,, 2022; Casey et al., 2018). Negative effects on nurses' motivation and knowledge development result from their propensity to disregard learning activities (Alavi, Nabizadeh-Gharghozar & Ajorpaz, 2022).

Oldland et al., (2022), Cho‐Baker, Kell & Fishtein, (2022), and Kinsella, Fry & Zecchin, (2018) identified themes in nurses' learning goals and reasons for postgraduate programs, namely: knowledge and skill acquisition, personal outcomes, personal professional behaviors, and interpersonal professional behaviors. A variety of additional factors in the decision-making process are also suggested, particularly in relation to student support.

The graduate programs' small class numbers, cohort arrangements, administrative emphasis, and practical experience, according to Cho Baker et al., (2022), were essential elements. Geographical location, program characteristics, faculty and/or coordinator characteristics, academic concerns, work-related concerns, considerations for spouses, financial aid, and the learning environment were also found to be significant factors and have the greatest influence on student decisions (Pjesky, Spaulding & Wood, (2019).

This feasibility study will establish whether it is viable to offer a graduate school program for nurses in the region. A graduate school program that is feasible and specifically designed to meet the expectations of professionals must also take into account the other needs of the community and industry demands.

Rationale and Objectives

The purpose of the study is to determine whether it is feasible for the institution to provide a graduate program to nurses in the province and possibly from other regions and countries. Additionally, research will assess the program's potential for meeting the higher education needs of nurses who want to pursue an MSN.

Specifically, this study aims to:

1. Determine the respondent’s profile and interest in pursuing Master of Science in Nursing (MSN);

2. Assess the perception of the participants on the proposed MSN program and determine the anticipated career effects in pursuing a degree in nursing;

3. Determine the preference of the participants in the proposed MSN particularly on structure, specialization, estimated fees, and target year of enrollment;

4. Determine the participant’s perceived benefits of the proposed nursing program offering.

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

This study employed a quantitative research design, and the descriptive findings of the quantitative design were supported by qualitative responses based on the needs of prospective students and industry demands.

Sampling Technique

A convenience sampling technique which is a non-probability scheme, was used in the data collection. Primarily, the study was targeted at nurses with plans to take further graduate studies that may specialize as capacity builders, data analysts, and decision-makers in their respective organizations.

Data Collection

Prior to the collection of data, a letter of approval to conduct the study was obtained from the College of Nursing Dean through the research coordinator and the Vice President for Research, Extension, and Innovation, respectively. The researchers used Google Forms as the survey instrument. The survey link was forwarded to the nurses' emails and social media messenger applications to obtain the needed data.

Access to the data will be confidential and controlled by the primary researchers. The research upholds provisions of RA 10175, or the Data Privacy Act of 2012, alongside its IRR.

Research Instrument

A feasibility study tool is a modified-adapted tool that was provided by the Office of the Graduate School of the Visayas State University. The said tool was utilized to identify the viability of graduate program offerings in nursing.

The tool is divided into the following sections: an introductory statement with consent; the respondent's demographic profile; the graduate school relevance offering; the respondent's interest in pursuing graduate school program studies; the factors influencing that interest; the time constraints for pursuing graduate school programs; and comments, suggestions, and other matters that may be pertinent to the operation of the aforementioned graduate studies offering.

Data Analysis

Descriptive statistics were utilized in the data processing and analysis of the results. Frequency counts and the percentage were used to present the results of the conducted survey. The use of chart presentation was generated as deemed appropriate for the presentation of the data. The qualitative data will be analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis.

Ethical Consideration

This study underwent technical and ethical review from the Visayas State University – College of Nursing Research Review Committee and was granted clearance to proceed with the code: RES- CON-F2021-01 issued on June 28, 2021.

RESULTS

Respondent’s Profile

Nearly two-thirds (63.7%) of the 116 respondents were young adults (ages 20 to 30), and nearly three-quarters (70%) of the respondents were female (Table 1). The majority (87%) of the respondents had a job at the time of the research. Ninety-two (79.3%) were full-time employees, with seventy-six (65.5%) working in a hospital or in the clinical sector. More than one-third (35.5%) of the seventy (60.3%) employees worked in a private healthcare facility in the province of Leyte, and a significant share were BSN graduates.

Table 1: Respondent’s Profile (N=116)

Interest in Pursuing Graduate Degree Program in Nursing

One-fourth (25.9%) of the respondents considered enrolling in graduate programs but were still undecided (Figure 1). Alternately, nearly one-fifth (19.8%) of the respondents revealed that they were very likely to apply and actively looking for options. A considerable number, nearly one-fifth (19%)—consider this intellectual advancement but have not yet looked for a graduate school to enroll in.

Figure 1: Level of Interest in Pursuing Graduate Degree Program in Nursing

Perception of the Proposed Master’s Degree Program

Majority (98.3%) of the respondents said that the intent to open a graduate program is relevant to the needs of the professionals (Table 2). There were 113 (97.4%) respondents as potential enrollees and 111 (95.7%) revealed that opening this program is timely to the needs of the professional nurses.

Table 2: Perception of the Participants in the Proposed Master's Degree Program

*Multiple response

Motivations in Pursuing a Graduate Degree Program

More than half (56.9%) of the respondents replied that career considerations are a very important factor in pursuing a graduate degree in nursing (Table 3). In contrast, enjoyment of learning (46.6%), financial considerations (46.6%), and desire to help others (46.6%) were also motivating factors for nurses. Moreover, nearly half (44.8%) revealed that the desire to expand networks is also a motivation for professional advancement.

Table 3: Motivations in pursuing Master’s Degree Program

*Multiple response

Perceived Effect on Career After Earning Graduate School Degree

Majority (84.5%) believed that obtaining a master's degree would better their professional situation (Table 4). Alternately, 28 (24.1%) respondents said that they also expected a job shift as a result of completing a nursing graduate school.

Table 4: The Anticipated Effect on Career After Earning Master’s Degree

*Multiple response

School Preferences for Graduate Program

A total of 40 (37.9%) respondents were "Very interested" in enrolling in the graduate program at VSU (Table 5). Alternately, respondents also prefer to enroll in a private non-faith-based university (43.1%), other state universities (38.8%), and private faith-based universities (29.3%) for their master’s degree.

Table 5: School Preference for Master’s Degree Enrollment

*Multiple response

The respondents were "very interested" in enrolling at Visayas State University, while enrolling at a private faith-based university, a private non-faith-based university, and other state universities were categorized as "somewhat interested" in their school preferences.

Selecting a Graduate School in Nursing

A convenient timetable was listed as the top consideration of 83 (71.6%) respondents (Table 6). The cost and class availability were very important to 79 (68.1%) and 72 (62.1%) respondents, respectively.

Table 6: Factors Influencing the Selection of Graduate School

*Multiple response

Preferred Program Structure

Fifty-eight (50%) respondents said that a semester arrangement was their preferred structure (Table 7). While 46 (39.7%) respondents chose largely or only weekend programs, 47 (41.4%) preferred an accelerated style or a schedule of one class for 5-7 weeks.

Alternatively, 45 (38.8%) respondents preferred a 50:50 (face-to-face and online) hybrid format; 45 (37.1%) respondents reported having a fully online implementation; and 38 (32.8%) respondents preferred a 75:25 (face-to-face and online) hybrid format and mostly all-day classes. This reveals that nurses favoured an expedited semester arrangement with most or all weekend classes.

Table 7: Preferred Program Structure

*Multiple response

Preferred Specialization in the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

A variety of responses were shown in their preferred MSN specialization (Table 8). The following were the respondents' top-choice specializations: Medical-Surgical Nursing (34.2%), Clinical Supervision and Leadership (31.6%), Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing (15.4%), and Family Health Nursing (14.5%) were among the preferred specializations.

Table 8: Preferred MSN Program Specializations

Reasons for the Preferred Specialization in the MS Program

The highest percentage of the respondents (19.8%) said that their aim of improving the skills relevant to their job and improving their career were the reasons for selecting their specialization (Table 9).

Alternatively, to expand or broaden their knowledge (19%), based on interest (18.1%), to improve the quality of nursing service (17.2%), to improve one’s leadership skills (7.8%), great schools (4.3%), and enhance one’s competency (3.4%).

Table 9: Reasons for Selecting the Preferred MS Program Specialization

Target Academic Year for Enrollment

Half (50.7%) of respondents recommended that MSN be operational for the first semester of the academic year 2022-2023 (Figure 2). This suggests that nurses were eager to enroll in VSU's MSN program.

Figure 2: Target Academic Year for Enrollment

Preferred Estimated School Fees

More than half of the respondents (59.5%) preferred PHP 4,000.00 to PHP 5,000.00 as the program’s school fees (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Preferred Estimated Fees for the Program

Benefits of the MSN Program

Three themes arose from the responses and their categories (Table 10). The themes are beneficial to oneself (76.2%), beneficial to the nation (18.1%), and beneficial to the linked institution (5.4%).

Table 10: Perceived Benefit of the MS Program

DISCUSSION

This study aimed to determine the viability of VSU in offering an MSN program and to evaluate the potential of the proposed program to respond to the needs of those pursuing graduate studies.

The findings showed that most of the respondents were female, young adults, and working as full- time staff nurses in a private hospital in the province of Leyte. The findings suggested nurses' motivation (Kinsella, Fry & Zecchin, 2018) but they are unsure because of things like working abroad, the nature of their jobs, and work schedules (Mbombi & Mothiba, 2020). Some nurses, nevertheless, haven't given attending graduate programs much thought.

The plan to create a graduate program is pertinent to working professionals' needs. The debut of this program, according to the study, is timely in light of demands and needs. This suggests that nurses are preparing for VSU's intention to open a graduate program. In actuality, the province of Leyte lacks a public graduate institution that offers graduate nursing degrees.

Pursuing a graduate degree in nursing requires careful thought about future career. This suggests that nurses' motivation may take the form of professional development (Hariyati & Safril, 2018; Mbombi & Mothiba, 2020) and a stable and long-lasting career path, opening up prospective new frontiers or opportunities outside their prior employment or life experiences (Macdiarmid et al., 2021). When classifying their level of motivation, the respondents agreed on all points. All respondents regarded the desire to serve others, the love of learning, financial concerns, career considerations, and the desire to broaden their network as being highly important in their motives for seeking a graduate degree in nursing (Oldland et al., 2022; Macdiarmid et al., 2021; Krishnamoorthy, Muthuveloo & Ping, 2020).

The results of the predicted impact on career following a master's degree are comparable to those of Vazquez-Calatayud et al., (2021), Yeong Woo, Yu Lee & San Tam, (2017), Mbombi & Mothiba, 2020, and Oldland (2022), who discovered that pursuing professional progress will be beneficial to their careers. This suggests that this is a means of advancing one's existing career, providing quality nursing care, generating clinical outcomes, and potentially strengthening the healthcare workforce. However, the findings of considering a desire for a career change and leaving current situation are also influencers (Price et al., 2018; Vazquez-Calatayud, Errasti-Ibarrondo & Choperena, 2021).

The respondents expressed strong interest in enrolling at VSU and moderate interest in private, non- religious HEIs. Convenient scheduling (Cho‐Baker, Kell & Fishtein, 2022), cost (Mbombi & Mothiba, 2020), and class availability were factors taken into account wan choosing and HEI (Vazquez-Calatayud et al., 2021).

The findings are consistent with those of Baker, Kell, and Fishtein (2022) on the influence of graduate student decisions. The academic reputation of the school and of the program, the convenience of the schedule, the cost, student support services (Mohammed, 2021), faculty attitude (Mallek & El-Hosany, 2020), and class availability were all essential.

Respondents chose a semester-accelerated schedule and primarily or exclusively weekend classes (Macdiarmid et al., 2021). Additionally, respondents chose a blended learning program to address their learning styles, numerous roles, and busy schedules (Chmiel, Shaha & Schneider, 2017; Mangold et al., 2018; Mbombi & Mothiba, 2020; Martin et al., 2022; Daňo; 2017; Wu et al., 2020).

The majority of respondents' employment in clinical settings shows that they were interested in medical-surgical nursing as a specialization. According to the study, developing one's abilities and furthering one's career were the two top considerations while selecting a program emphasis. Similar to these, Tiliander et al., (2022), Ocapan & Locsin (2019), Efendi, Chen & Kurniati, (2018), Casey et al., (2018), and Choo (2015) identified these factors: situational assessment, organizational context, a seismic shift, additional roles, intellectual complexities, and career that affect nurses' decisions when choosing a nursing specialty.

This study suggests that respondents want to progress in their careers and enhance their knowledge, nursing skills, and leadership abilities (Tiliander et al., 2022; Ocapan & Locsin, 2019; Kinsella, Fry & Zecchin, 2018; Casey et al., 2018) by enrolling in an MSN. Additionally, nurses prefer a lower cost than other HEIs and are anticipating the start of the MSN program at VSU (Mbombi & Mothiba, 2020).

Lastly, according to the content analysis, nurses are investing in professional-related intellectual assets for knowledge development and advancement, boosting the competencies of Filipino nurses, and increasing outputs and productivity (Yeong Woo, Yu Lee & San Tam, 2017; Macdiarmid et al.,2021; Oldland et al., 2022; Cho‐Baker, Kell & Fishtein, 2022).

Nursing Implication

The results of this study could potentially help nurse researchers develop, carry out, and support educational initiatives for graduate nursing schools. Moreover, these will help nurse educators, administrators, and clinicians understand how to promote graduate-level nursing education in a systematic manner. Finally, the survey data should also be included in the plan for developing and evaluating graduate nursing HEIs since these are crucial for accreditation and approval requirements.

CONCLUSION

Based on the study's findings, it can be said that VSU satisfies the need for nursing professionals in the region. This is demonstrated by the significant number of nurses who are eager to enroll in a graduate program at VSU and who are demonstrating their determination to achieve this goal.

Recommendations

Despite the fact that the study's results indicate that respondents were very interested in VSU's proposed graduate nursing degree program, they nonetheless provided a number of recommendations for enhancing its implementation. The administrators and curriculum designers of the VSU Graduate School are invited to consider these suggestions and use them as a springboard for creating programs that can make the university's graduate courses more receptive to the needs of their stakeholders.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The authors gratefully acknowledge the nurses who volunteered to contribute important data to this study. The authors would also like to thank Dr. Keane Jim T. Agravante for conceptualizing the study with the VSU College of Nursing. Most of all, the authors would like to thank Visayas State University for the technical support and guidance provided in completing this study.

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