Nursing internships require the student to transfer knowledge accrued in the classroom to a hospital setting. Low-quality nursing education fails to provide the student with extensive application opportunities in the hospital.
Researchers have explored the relationship between education and patient safety. High-quality nursing education is associated with diminished incidence of patient mortality. According to a study in "Psychiatric Services," hospital stays were 14 percent shorter for patients diagnosed with mental illness in hospitals with highly educated nurses.
Health care foundations, the military, the federal government and nurse executives have promoted the employment of highly trained nurses. Nursing programs whose students fail state licensure examinations can be phased out.