Table 1.

Study Characteristics

Study	Purposes	Design	Data Sources	Key Points
Abbot-Anderson et al. (2016)	To examine and discuss the training experiences of 3 PhD students mentoring BSN students	Case studies (student-level)	3 PhD students mentoring 6 undergraduate students	PhD student mentorship of BSN students is beneficial because they are less intimidating than faculty, and role model what the next educational step may look like.
Ayoola et al. (2017)	To present strategies of a BSN program to promote zest in research and increase the pursuit of PhDs among BSN students	Case study (program-level)	4 faculty members and 2 previous BSN students now with PhDs	Multiple levels (i.e., individual, program, institution, etc.) work together to increase BSN students’ zest for research through meaningful research experiences and high-quality mentorship.
Bond (2017)	To determine the intent of BSN nursing students to pursue a future nursing faculty role	Cross-sectional survey	1078 BSN students with at least one semester of a clinical nursing practicum.	Only one in four BSN students consider a future faculty role, and this is correlated with knowledge of the faculty role, teaching experiences, and encouragement from faculty.
DeYoung et al. (2002)	To examine the progress made on proposed solutions to the nurse faculty shortage	Discussion	Expert opinion	Progress has been made on proposed solutions to the nurse faculty shortage, but more funding is needed. Linking the nurse and nurse faculty shortages builds a case for funding initiatives.
Dreifuerst et al. (2016)	To describe factors that influence the pursuit of doctoral education by nurses seeking faculty roles.	Cross-sectioal survey	548 current students or recent graduates of doctoral programs	Factors influencing nurses’ pursuit of doctoral education focus on time, money, preparedness to assume a faculty role, and deciding between PhD and DNP.
Ellenbecker & Kazmi (2014)	To explore the characteristics of BS-PhD nursing programs.	Cross-sectional survey	25 universities currently offering BSN-PhD programs	BSN-PhD fast track programs are very new and have thus had a limited impact. They are not rigorously evaluated and vary significantly in terms of funding and program quality.
Fang et al. (2016)	To report factors influencing research-focused doctoral students’ decisions to pursue faculty roles	Cross-sectional survey	933 PhD students randomly selected from U.S. nursing schools	Facilitators for PhD students to pursue a faculty role included interest in teaching and an appreciation of the impact of nursing research on patient care, while barriers were poor financial compensation and a negative perception of academia.
Greene et al (2017)	To describe a clinical fellowship program offered alongside a direct-entry BSN-PhD	Case study (program-level)	Authors’ expert opinions	Clinical training during PhD is beneficial, facilitating connection between research and practice, effective interdisciplinary teamwork, and contribution to health care innovation.
Joseph et al (2020)	To strategize on developing nurse scientists and preparing them for a competitive funding environment.	Discussion	4 expert panelists and discussions with 70 audience members	Effective nurse scientists are developed through passion; supportive institutions, mentors, and sponsors; resilience and perseverance; work-life harmony; and institutional support.
Katz et al (2020)	To determine if GRE scores predict success in nursing PhD programs	Longitudinal survey	217 admitted to nursing masters or PhD programs	The is GRE an ineffective indicator of success in PhD programs and a significant barrier to application.
McGivern (2003)	To discuss how to develop younger, better-prepared nurse researchers in accelerated research-intensive tracks.	Discussion	Author’s expert opinion	The nursing profession must create environments legitimizing scholars prepared by BSN-PhD programs. Changes in program structure, curricula, recruitment, and resources are needed.
Megginson (2011)	To identify current admission criteria and academic performance outcomes in nursing PhD programs	Cross-sectional survey	56 nursing PhD programs	PhD program admissions criteria include GPA, GRE scores, writing samples, letters of recommendation, interviews, and research match with faculty. However, these criteria largely lack predictive validity regarding performance outcomes.
Nehls & Barber (2012)	To describe the curriculum and early results of a pre-baccalaureate, research-focused PhD option	Case study (program-level)	Expert opinion	A pre-baccalaureate entry option to the PhD is a promising way to increase the number of successful nurse researchers. A key component of this option is early, intensive research training with an established nurse faculty researcher.
Nehls & Rice (2014)	To evaluate an early-entry PhD program in nursing	Case Study (program-level)	29 students admitted to a nursing PhD program	Early entry into PhD programs is facilitated by assurance of financial support, research involvement, and extensive mentorship. Efforts to improve recruitment, curriculum, and allocation of funds have been successful.
Nehls et al. (2016)	To compare outcomes between direct BSN-PhD students and those with work experience, and/or a masters’ degree	Cross sectional mixed methods	84 PhD students admitted to a PhD program in a 10-year period	There were no significant differences in research productivity and postgraduation employment between three groups of PhD students: those who came straight from BSNs, had one or more years of clinical nursing experience, or had master’s degrees.
Neuberger (2016)	To describe recruitment, application, mentor selection, and scholarly activities of an early entry PhD program	Case study (program-level)	Author’s expert opinion	By providing mentorship and research engagement opportunities, honors research programs and early-entry PhD programs are a promising way to encourage the pursuit of PhD degrees.
Peterson et al. (2015)	To evaluate student perceptions of BSN-PhD programs, and to identify opportunities and challenges.	Qualitative internet survey	21 current BSN-PhD students or graduates from 7 U.S. universities	PhD students admitted directly from BSN identified that personal development, contribution to the profession, and a short time to degree completion motivated them to pursue their PhD. Barriers included academic challenge and limited funding.
Salerno et al. (2017)	To describe and evaluate a summer research program for minority BSN students	Preliminary intervention evaluation	6 minority BSN students	A summer research program for minority BSN students resulted in favorable trends in satisfaction, knowledge gains, attitudes toward research, and intent to pursue PhD education.
Smith et al. (2016)	To describe a PhD pipeline initiative to inspire a diverse pool of BSN students to consider pursuing a PhD.	Cross-sectional mixed methods	16 BSN students, 6 faculty, and 4 PhD students	Initiatives that engage BSN students as full team members at their identified level of research interest and offer meaningful research activities mentored by senior researchers resulted in positive student experiences that increased student interest in research and influenced their career decision-making.
Squires et al. (2014)	To evaluate BSN-PhD admission criteria, ascertain students’ decision-making to pursue a PhD, and to develop a measure of intent.	Cross-sectional survey	606 current BSN, master’s, and DNP students at a U.S. nursing program	Factors that influence students’ intent to pursue a PhD include the availability of full tuition funding with a living stipend and current program track. Time, money, and desire to gain clinical experience prior to PhD study were the main barriers.
Stanfill et al. (2019)	To outline strategies to enhance the PhD nurse pipeline	Discussion	Authors’ expert opinions	Strategies to enhance the PhD nurse pipeline include BSN recruitment and engagement in research opportunities, PhD student funding, quality mentorship to enhance graduation rates, and help establishing scholarly independence.
Taylor & Terhaar (2018)	To evaluate a program to educate nurses on roles filled by doctorally prepared nurses, help select a program, and prepare for success.	Preliminary intervention evaluation	70 nurses applying to graduate schools	A program to help nurses set career goals, generate action plans, and mobilize resources to promote success in application showed promising results. Transparency on program options enhanced student success.
Vance et al. (2020)	To describe changes in recruitment and curriculum necessary for the success of a BSN-PhD pathway and 3-year PhD program.	Case study (prorgam-level)	Authors expert opinions	PhD programs could promote early entry by decreasing time to degree, revising curriculum, and providing research immersion experiences. To increase the BSN-PhD enrollment, students could be offered full funding. Their progress should then be evaluated.
Xu et al. (2018)	Explore the unique characteristics of the direct entry BSN-PhD student experience.	Qualitative case study (student-level)	Four students or recent graduates of direct-entry BSN-PhD programs	Directly admitted BSN-PhD students have unique perspectives, including ideas about commitment to science, nursing identity, exploring prospects, and balancing family and student expectations.

GRE = Graduate Record Examinations®; GPA = Grade Point Average

Note. There are many points discussed in all the studies reviewed. We presented only a brief summary of the main points.