Competency Difference Between Associate And Baccalaureate Degree In Nursing
Competency Difference between an Associate and Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing
Annie M. Swiatek
Grand Canyon University- NRS-430V Professional Dynamics
Competency Difference between an Associate and Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing
Florence Nightingale, was the first women that is recognized with founding modern nursing and creating the first educational system for nurses. (Creasio, Friberg 2011) The nursing profession has improved considerably over the years with different educational opportunities that individuals can choose from. There is a clear difference in competency levels between the Associate degree and the Baccalaureate degree (BSN) in nursing. With this being said, the BSN degree nurse provides more leadership skills, critical …show more content…
thinking skills, and patient safety skills then the nurse with an Associate degree. The case scenario that will be presented will also show why having a BSN degree increases the competency level as opposed to just having an Associate degree.
Leadership Skills
“Leadership is the art of leading others to deliberately create a result that wouldn’t have happened otherwise”.
(Posted on April 19, 2013 by Search Inside Leadership Institute.) Mildred Montag began a movement in 1951 and altered the pattern of education of nursing students. “Based on her doctoral thesis Education of Nursing Technicians (1951), Montag proposed education for a new kind of nurse, a nursing technician.” (Montag, 1951 p. 6). The student would be educated thru a community or junior college and would start at an “intermediate functions requiring skill and some judgment” (Montag, 1951 p 6). Basically the function of this type of nursing student would be (1) giving general nursing care with supervision (2) assisting in the planning of nursing care for patients (3) assisting in the evaluation of the nursing care plan (Montag, 1951). There was no plan on the Associate degree being a leadership role for nursing. In other words, this was to be a role in which this nurse be supervised by a nurse that had a BSN in nursing. Already, there is a difference seen in the two types of degree …show more content…
programs.
Critical Thinking
A nurse that has a BSN has a better understanding about the use of critical thinking when making nursing decisions. Critical thinking is described as “disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence” (Dictionary.com). Nurses use critical thinking everyday with their patients by creating a diagnosis, planning, implementing, and evaluation of their patients care. This evidence can be seen in the test NLN Task Force on Competencies of Graduates (1979) where there were differences noticed by the different levels of nursing education. This test was performed with nursing students who were in a BSN program and other students who were in an Associate program. The greatest differences between these two programs were in the cognitive area of thinking. The findings were that the students with a BSN had a higher cognitive area making it possible to have better critical thinking skills then the Associate degree nursing student. Besides the differences, there was also similarities found in the testing with the two degrees mentioned. The similarities were in the psychomotor areas of both the students in the BSN and Associate degree programs. Some examples of psychomotor skills in nursing are taking blood pressures, drawing up insulin, administering subcutaneous or intramuscular injections, and performing head to toe assessment on patients. Both of these skills are important in nursing but the critical thinking is one that is used to make decisions regarding the patient’s care and the outcome of that decision.
Patient Safety. Patient safety should always be a high priority in the nursing field whether you are a nurse with an Associate degree or a BSN. Research shows “lower mortality rates, fewer medication errors, and positive outcomes are all linked to nurses prepared at the Baccalaureate and graduate degree levels” (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, p 1). Studies have shown that with the nurses that have a higher education, deliver better clinical proficiency and care delivery to their patients. This could be from students in the BSN program having a more in-depth understanding of the physical and social sciences.
Case Scenario.
A 38 year old male comes into the emergency room with presenting symptoms of nausea and vomiting for 3 days. He was also complaining of feeling fatigued and having abdominal pain. The physician orders to start an IV and start 0.45% sodium chloride at 125ml per hour. The physician also ordered lab work to get done. The Associate degree nurse started the IV and started to hang the bag of 0.45% sodium chloride. Just then the BSN nurse looks at his chart and notices his symptoms. She believes because of all the symptoms he is presenting with, it could be some type of liver problem. The nurse who has the BSN degree questions the physician about a possible liver disorder and suggests that he change the order for the type of IV fluid he ordered due to patient’s symptoms. The physician changes the type of IV fluids for this patient. The knowledge (liver disease and IV fluids) and leadership skills (the nurse talking with the physician) that the nurse processes is the reason that having a BSN degree education benefits the safety of the
patients.
In conclusion, there are so many educational opportunities for individuals to become a nurse. Whether it be getting a diploma degree, associate degree or a BSN, individuals have a greater opportunity today to become a nurse. There is definitely an advantage to getting a BSN now due to all the opportunists to advance into the nursing field. It may seem that the Associate degree in nursing and the BSN are similar. But the BSN degree provides more leadership skills, critical thinking skills and patient safety skills then a nurse with an Associate degree. When it comes to competency levels between the two degrees, getting a BSN is prominently superior than an Associate degree in nursing.
References
Programs. Journal of Nursing Education, 45(6), 233-237.
Creasia, Friberg, J. (2011). Conceptual Foundations: The Bridge to Professional Nursing Practice [VitalSouce bookshelf version]. Retrieved from http://pageburstis.elseier.com/books/978-0-323-06869-7/Root/0
Rosseter, R. (n.d.). Creating a More Highly Qualified Nursing Workforce. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
Lane, S., & Kohlenberg, E. (n.d.). The Future of Baccalaureate Degrees for Nurses. Nursing Forum, 218-227.
Difference in Competencies Between RN & BSN. (2009, September 4). Retrieved September 1, 2014.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/liver-problems/basics/causes/con-20025300 (n.d.). Retrieved September 1, 2014.
https://www.med.mun.ca/getdoc/6f26f870-6c78-4a73-80f0-98200858aafd/IntravenousFluids.aspx (n.d.). Retrieved September 1, 2014.
http://www.nsna.org/careercenter/fuss.aspx What 's All the Fuss? (n.d.). Retrieved September 1, 2014.
http://www.nursingshow.com/2014/03/31/are-bsn-nurses-better-nurses/
Are BSN Nurses Better Nurses? (n.d.). Retrieved September 1, 2014.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2009). The 2008-2009 Enrollment and graduations in Baccalaureate ad graduate programs in nursing. Washington, D.C.
McHugh, M.D. , Kelly, L.A.,Smith, H.L., Wu, E.S., Vanak, J,M. & Aiken, L.H. (2012). Lower Mortality in Magnet Hospitals. Medical Care Publication forthcoming: published ahead of print.
Annie M. Swiatek
Grand Canyon University- NRS-430V Professional Dynamics
Competency Difference between an Associate and Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing
Florence Nightingale, was the first women that is recognized with founding modern nursing and creating the first educational system for nurses. (Creasio, Friberg 2011) The nursing profession has improved considerably over the years with different educational opportunities that individuals can choose from. There is a clear difference in competency levels between the Associate degree and the Baccalaureate degree (BSN) in nursing. With this being said, the BSN degree nurse provides more leadership skills, critical …show more content…
thinking skills, and patient safety skills then the nurse with an Associate degree. The case scenario that will be presented will also show why having a BSN degree increases the competency level as opposed to just having an Associate degree.
Leadership Skills
“Leadership is the art of leading others to deliberately create a result that wouldn’t have happened otherwise”.
(Posted on April 19, 2013 by Search Inside Leadership Institute.) Mildred Montag began a movement in 1951 and altered the pattern of education of nursing students. “Based on her doctoral thesis Education of Nursing Technicians (1951), Montag proposed education for a new kind of nurse, a nursing technician.” (Montag, 1951 p. 6). The student would be educated thru a community or junior college and would start at an “intermediate functions requiring skill and some judgment” (Montag, 1951 p 6). Basically the function of this type of nursing student would be (1) giving general nursing care with supervision (2) assisting in the planning of nursing care for patients (3) assisting in the evaluation of the nursing care plan (Montag, 1951). There was no plan on the Associate degree being a leadership role for nursing. In other words, this was to be a role in which this nurse be supervised by a nurse that had a BSN in nursing. Already, there is a difference seen in the two types of degree …show more content…
programs.
Critical Thinking
A nurse that has a BSN has a better understanding about the use of critical thinking when making nursing decisions. Critical thinking is described as “disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence” (Dictionary.com). Nurses use critical thinking everyday with their patients by creating a diagnosis, planning, implementing, and evaluation of their patients care. This evidence can be seen in the test NLN Task Force on Competencies of Graduates (1979) where there were differences noticed by the different levels of nursing education. This test was performed with nursing students who were in a BSN program and other students who were in an Associate program. The greatest differences between these two programs were in the cognitive area of thinking. The findings were that the students with a BSN had a higher cognitive area making it possible to have better critical thinking skills then the Associate degree nursing student. Besides the differences, there was also similarities found in the testing with the two degrees mentioned. The similarities were in the psychomotor areas of both the students in the BSN and Associate degree programs. Some examples of psychomotor skills in nursing are taking blood pressures, drawing up insulin, administering subcutaneous or intramuscular injections, and performing head to toe assessment on patients. Both of these skills are important in nursing but the critical thinking is one that is used to make decisions regarding the patient’s care and the outcome of that decision.
Patient Safety. Patient safety should always be a high priority in the nursing field whether you are a nurse with an Associate degree or a BSN. Research shows “lower mortality rates, fewer medication errors, and positive outcomes are all linked to nurses prepared at the Baccalaureate and graduate degree levels” (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, p 1). Studies have shown that with the nurses that have a higher education, deliver better clinical proficiency and care delivery to their patients. This could be from students in the BSN program having a more in-depth understanding of the physical and social sciences.
Case Scenario.
A 38 year old male comes into the emergency room with presenting symptoms of nausea and vomiting for 3 days. He was also complaining of feeling fatigued and having abdominal pain. The physician orders to start an IV and start 0.45% sodium chloride at 125ml per hour. The physician also ordered lab work to get done. The Associate degree nurse started the IV and started to hang the bag of 0.45% sodium chloride. Just then the BSN nurse looks at his chart and notices his symptoms. She believes because of all the symptoms he is presenting with, it could be some type of liver problem. The nurse who has the BSN degree questions the physician about a possible liver disorder and suggests that he change the order for the type of IV fluid he ordered due to patient’s symptoms. The physician changes the type of IV fluids for this patient. The knowledge (liver disease and IV fluids) and leadership skills (the nurse talking with the physician) that the nurse processes is the reason that having a BSN degree education benefits the safety of the
patients.
In conclusion, there are so many educational opportunities for individuals to become a nurse. Whether it be getting a diploma degree, associate degree or a BSN, individuals have a greater opportunity today to become a nurse. There is definitely an advantage to getting a BSN now due to all the opportunists to advance into the nursing field. It may seem that the Associate degree in nursing and the BSN are similar. But the BSN degree provides more leadership skills, critical thinking skills and patient safety skills then a nurse with an Associate degree. When it comes to competency levels between the two degrees, getting a BSN is prominently superior than an Associate degree in nursing.
References
Programs. Journal of Nursing Education, 45(6), 233-237.
Creasia, Friberg, J. (2011). Conceptual Foundations: The Bridge to Professional Nursing Practice [VitalSouce bookshelf version]. Retrieved from http://pageburstis.elseier.com/books/978-0-323-06869-7/Root/0
Rosseter, R. (n.d.). Creating a More Highly Qualified Nursing Workforce. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
Lane, S., & Kohlenberg, E. (n.d.). The Future of Baccalaureate Degrees for Nurses. Nursing Forum, 218-227.
Difference in Competencies Between RN & BSN. (2009, September 4). Retrieved September 1, 2014.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/liver-problems/basics/causes/con-20025300 (n.d.). Retrieved September 1, 2014.
https://www.med.mun.ca/getdoc/6f26f870-6c78-4a73-80f0-98200858aafd/IntravenousFluids.aspx (n.d.). Retrieved September 1, 2014.
http://www.nsna.org/careercenter/fuss.aspx What 's All the Fuss? (n.d.). Retrieved September 1, 2014.
http://www.nursingshow.com/2014/03/31/are-bsn-nurses-better-nurses/
Are BSN Nurses Better Nurses? (n.d.). Retrieved September 1, 2014.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2009). The 2008-2009 Enrollment and graduations in Baccalaureate ad graduate programs in nursing. Washington, D.C.
McHugh, M.D. , Kelly, L.A.,Smith, H.L., Wu, E.S., Vanak, J,M. & Aiken, L.H. (2012). Lower Mortality in Magnet Hospitals. Medical Care Publication forthcoming: published ahead of print.