Multiple role women: the real world of the mature RN learner.

The last quarter of this century is revealing exciting changes in university nursing education. With the endorsement of the BSN as entry to practice has come an unprecedented demand for university education for mature RN learners. Because of their personal, educational, and professional histories, their lack of familiarity with the university community, and their complex lives, these women present a unique challenge to university educators. Effective teaching of this large population of students is contingent upon educators' appreciation of them as mature female learners who lead busy lives and experience "academic shock" as part of their transition to becoming a baccalaureate graduate.