Comparing Nursing And The Baccalaureate Degree
Lisa Merritt
Grand Canyon University: Nursing 430-V
September 8, 14
Education Preparation
In today’s world there are many components within the career of nursing. Nursing is no longer just bedside or direct patient care. There are various specialties a nurse can employ. We live in an age in which healthcare is an integral part of society. Two of the main nursing programs that are available are the Associate degree in nursing and the Baccalaureate degree in nursing. While the core of these two programs prepare individuals to sit for the same exam the level of competencies that a nurse is prepared for once working in the field is said to be different. This paper will be discussing the differences between the two levels education in which nurses are prepared for. When one decides to go to school to become a nurse there is a commitment to giving compassionate care, an oath taken upon graduation, regardless of the area of nursing they choose to work in. Nurses graduating with an AND or BSN sit and take the NCLEX examination. The test is designed so that regardless of which degree you obtained you either pass or fail, either you are competent or you aren’t. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing states, “ Research has shown that lower mortality rates, …show more content…
fewer medication errors, and positive outcomes are all linked to nurses prepared at the baccalaureate and graduate levels” (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2008). While this may be so, it is also competency, experience, and the ability to use the knowledge you gained at either level that is essential to becoming a “good nurse.” There are many nurses prepared at the ADN and Baccalaureate level that become employed, and many times are not successful. Now in order to enter a nursing program you must take exams to show you are competent to even begin the program. It is crucial that one is able to put forward the skills learned in school once working in the field. As the field of nursing continues to progress you can see more and more the differentiation between nurses with an ADN and nurses with a BSN. In many areas including where I currently reside there is merit in the following statement, according to Conceptual Foundations: The Bridge to Nursing Practice (Chapter 2 pg. 24-25), “ADN programs prepare technical bedside nurses for secondary care settings, such as community hospitals and long-term health care facilities. Also, that baccalaureate “Graduates are prepared as generalists to practice nursing in beginning leadership positions in a variety of settings. To prepare nurses for this multifaceted role, several components are essential for all baccalaureate programs. These components are liberal education, quality and patient safety, evidence-based practice, information management, health care policy and finance, communication/collaboration, clinical prevention/population health, and professional values” (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2008). It is extremely difficult to become employed in a hospital setting without a BSN. Many of the hospital are striving for magnet status and will only hire RN’s with a four-year degree. The LPN’s are no longer working in the long-term care setting even it is an RN with a two-year degree. The expectation for nurses to have a higher level of education is feasible in our society where everything around us is constantly evolving. It is necessary to continue that movement.
I remember when I was in my last semester of nursing school, an associates program. I was doing clinical at an IV therapy infusion facility. There were also three nurses there that were graduating from a BSN program. The nurses that we were shadowing for the day gave us a list of questions to answer about intravenous infusion. What to do if an IV infiltrates, etc. The soon to graduates of a BSN program didn’t answer the question correctly, not about that or about administering blood products. I did. When they were asked why they didn’t know the answer one student said, “ we have never even inserted an IV”. I thought to myself, wow they are graduating with what almost every employer wants, a BSN, and they don’t know how to insert an IV or explain the steps. More importantly they couldn’t answer the question correctly. These made me realize how important it is to be competent, gain the hands on experience, and eventually a BSN. Competency is key to being a successful nurse. A nurse with educational preparation at either level can succeed or fail if they are not able to think critically. There is also an education gap between nursing and other disciplines such as occupational therapy and physical therapy.
These two professions require a master’s education. In contrast to nursing, in that you can be prepared at the associate degree level. “In a field in which strong cooperative relationships and interdisciplinary teamwork are becoming increasingly important in delivering health care, educational differences matter. A baccalaureate education or higher is needed if nurses are to maintain equal status with other health care professionals and to participate as full partners on interdisciplinary teams (Barter & McFarland,
2001).”
Doors to educational changes should be kept open. Now more than ever nurses should want to be prepared at a higher level. The opportunity to be able to sit at the table with the important decision makers and have a stance while advocating for the patient is priceless. Being a nurse you are constantly advocating for your patients, by furthering your education you are advocating for yourself and your future endeavors, making you more marketable in this rapid changing field. With the increasing complexity of health care rising the educational bar can be justified in terms of the knowledge base needs and for advancing professional practice.
References
Barter, M., & McFarland, P.L. (2001) BSN by 2010: A California Initiative. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 31(3), 141-144.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2008 http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/NursingWorkforce.pdf
Joan L. Cresia & Elizabeth Friberg 5th Edition, 2011: Conceptual Foundations: The Bridge to Professional Nursing Practice. (Chapter 2 pg. 24-25),
Grand Canyon University: Nursing 430-V
September 8, 14
Education Preparation
In today’s world there are many components within the career of nursing. Nursing is no longer just bedside or direct patient care. There are various specialties a nurse can employ. We live in an age in which healthcare is an integral part of society. Two of the main nursing programs that are available are the Associate degree in nursing and the Baccalaureate degree in nursing. While the core of these two programs prepare individuals to sit for the same exam the level of competencies that a nurse is prepared for once working in the field is said to be different. This paper will be discussing the differences between the two levels education in which nurses are prepared for. When one decides to go to school to become a nurse there is a commitment to giving compassionate care, an oath taken upon graduation, regardless of the area of nursing they choose to work in. Nurses graduating with an AND or BSN sit and take the NCLEX examination. The test is designed so that regardless of which degree you obtained you either pass or fail, either you are competent or you aren’t. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing states, “ Research has shown that lower mortality rates, …show more content…
fewer medication errors, and positive outcomes are all linked to nurses prepared at the baccalaureate and graduate levels” (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2008). While this may be so, it is also competency, experience, and the ability to use the knowledge you gained at either level that is essential to becoming a “good nurse.” There are many nurses prepared at the ADN and Baccalaureate level that become employed, and many times are not successful. Now in order to enter a nursing program you must take exams to show you are competent to even begin the program. It is crucial that one is able to put forward the skills learned in school once working in the field. As the field of nursing continues to progress you can see more and more the differentiation between nurses with an ADN and nurses with a BSN. In many areas including where I currently reside there is merit in the following statement, according to Conceptual Foundations: The Bridge to Nursing Practice (Chapter 2 pg. 24-25), “ADN programs prepare technical bedside nurses for secondary care settings, such as community hospitals and long-term health care facilities. Also, that baccalaureate “Graduates are prepared as generalists to practice nursing in beginning leadership positions in a variety of settings. To prepare nurses for this multifaceted role, several components are essential for all baccalaureate programs. These components are liberal education, quality and patient safety, evidence-based practice, information management, health care policy and finance, communication/collaboration, clinical prevention/population health, and professional values” (American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2008). It is extremely difficult to become employed in a hospital setting without a BSN. Many of the hospital are striving for magnet status and will only hire RN’s with a four-year degree. The LPN’s are no longer working in the long-term care setting even it is an RN with a two-year degree. The expectation for nurses to have a higher level of education is feasible in our society where everything around us is constantly evolving. It is necessary to continue that movement.
I remember when I was in my last semester of nursing school, an associates program. I was doing clinical at an IV therapy infusion facility. There were also three nurses there that were graduating from a BSN program. The nurses that we were shadowing for the day gave us a list of questions to answer about intravenous infusion. What to do if an IV infiltrates, etc. The soon to graduates of a BSN program didn’t answer the question correctly, not about that or about administering blood products. I did. When they were asked why they didn’t know the answer one student said, “ we have never even inserted an IV”. I thought to myself, wow they are graduating with what almost every employer wants, a BSN, and they don’t know how to insert an IV or explain the steps. More importantly they couldn’t answer the question correctly. These made me realize how important it is to be competent, gain the hands on experience, and eventually a BSN. Competency is key to being a successful nurse. A nurse with educational preparation at either level can succeed or fail if they are not able to think critically. There is also an education gap between nursing and other disciplines such as occupational therapy and physical therapy.
These two professions require a master’s education. In contrast to nursing, in that you can be prepared at the associate degree level. “In a field in which strong cooperative relationships and interdisciplinary teamwork are becoming increasingly important in delivering health care, educational differences matter. A baccalaureate education or higher is needed if nurses are to maintain equal status with other health care professionals and to participate as full partners on interdisciplinary teams (Barter & McFarland,
2001).”
Doors to educational changes should be kept open. Now more than ever nurses should want to be prepared at a higher level. The opportunity to be able to sit at the table with the important decision makers and have a stance while advocating for the patient is priceless. Being a nurse you are constantly advocating for your patients, by furthering your education you are advocating for yourself and your future endeavors, making you more marketable in this rapid changing field. With the increasing complexity of health care rising the educational bar can be justified in terms of the knowledge base needs and for advancing professional practice.
References
Barter, M., & McFarland, P.L. (2001) BSN by 2010: A California Initiative. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 31(3), 141-144.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2008 http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/NursingWorkforce.pdf
Joan L. Cresia & Elizabeth Friberg 5th Edition, 2011: Conceptual Foundations: The Bridge to Professional Nursing Practice. (Chapter 2 pg. 24-25),