SACRAMENTO - Assembly Bill 1295, authored by Assemblymember Jean Fuller (R-Bakersfield), passed the Assembly today with unanimous support. The bill requires the California Community Colleges and the California State University to jointly develop and implement a transfer pathway between Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) programs and Bachelor's of Science Nursing (BSN) programs that will eliminate duplicative coursework.

At the CSU bachelor's degree level, there is little standardization for recognizing ADN course content. The lack of a common nursing transfer pathway can result in students having to take duplicative and unnecessary coursework that prolongs their time to degree and increases

costs for both the student and the State. It can take two to three years for an ADN graduate to earn a BSN. 70 percent of nurses in California are products of ADN programs, and these unnecessary barriers act as a disincentive for nurses who wish to continue their education to earn a BSN. California has a large need for nurses with a BSN degree to fill public health nursing positions and so that students can go on to complete their Master's Degree in Nursing, which allows them to become nursing faculty at both the community college and CSU level.

"Right now only 20 percent of nurses with an ADN degree go on to earn a BSN and this bill will expand the pipeline of more highly-trained nurses," said Fuller. "In addition, an essential part of dealing with our critical nursing shortage is increasing the number of faculty that can teach

nursing students. This bill will help make that happen."

The efficiencies created by AB 1295 would reduce the time to degree for these students by as much as a year, with the resulting cost savings to the State and the students.

Cindy Collier, Director of Nursing at Bakersfield College, had this to say: "I commend Assemblymember Jean Fuller for carrying AB 1295 to facilitate the increase of Registered Nurses advancing their education. This bill will smooth the transfer process and minimize duplication of coursework already completed at the community college, which will increase the number of BSN graduates for employment in our community."

AB 1295 will now go to the Senate for further consideration.

Assemblymember Fuller represents the 32nd Assembly District, which includes Bakersfield, Ridgecrest, Tehachapi, Taft, Kern River Valley and the Frazier Mountain communities.