Background: In the Netherlands, the distinction between Bachelor degree and diploma nursing educational levels remains unclear. The added value of Bachelor degree nurses and how they develop professionally after graduation are subject to debate. Objectives: The aim of this study is to investigate whether Bachelor degree nurses have higher critical thinking skills than diploma nurses do and whether there is a positive relationship between higher critical thinking skills and self-efficacy beliefs. Outcomes might provide instruments that are helpful in positioning of nursing levels in education and practice. Participants: Questionnaire data were used of a sample of 95 registered mental health staff nurses (62 diploma nurses and 33 Bachelor degree nurses). Methods: First, ANOVAwas performed to testwhether the two groupswere comparablewith respect to elements of work experience. Second, t-tests were conducted to compare the two groups of nurses on self-efficacy, perceived performance and critical thinking outcomes. Third, relationships between the study variables were investigated. Finally, structural equation modelling using AMOS was applied to test the relationships. Results: The hypothesis that Bachelor degree nurses are better critical thinkers than diploma nurseswas supported (pb0.01). Years in function turned out to be positively related to self-efficacy beliefs (pb0.01). No significant relation was found between the level of education and self-efficacy beliefs. Conclusions: The results of this study support career development and facilitate more efficient positioning of nursing levels.
Foreword : Education is the key to widen people’s opportunities in our globalizing world. The Hague, city of Justice and Peace, is rapidly improving its position in higher education. New universities and academies have established themselves in recent years. They broaden the offer of courses, degrees and research opportunities. The Municipal Government and The Hague University of Applied Sciences invited all interested international organizations, corporations, researchers and educational institutes to reflect on the best pattern of international higher education that should be organized in the future. Education should service the needs of both the Dutch and foreign population groups in The Hague and the region around it. With hundreds of large and small international institutions, tens of thousands of employees from abroad, as well as a growing interest of The Hague’s Dutch citizens, it is important to design the best possible facilities for higher education. This report summarizes the views and proposals expressed during the working conference. The reader may find many useful ideas for further development.
