Differences in competencies between ADN and BSN nurses
GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY
Professional Dynamics
NRS 430v
January 07, 2012
Differences in competencies between ADN and BSN nurses
Registered nurses comprise the largest sector in the health care field.
2008 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses conducted by the Health Resources
And Services Administration (HRSA) says that nursing is one of the nation's biggest health
Care Profession and it comprises more than 3 million registered nurses (RNs) in the United
States. It is a dynamic profession and learning is important for nurses to update their knowledge with Increased complexity of the healthcare needs of today and into the future. Debate regarding the minimum educational requirement for the nurses has been going over years with still no definite answer. Nurse with RN license may be educated to the level of BSN
(Bachelor degree of nursing) or ADN (associate degree in nursing). This paper will focus on the differences in the competencies between BSN AND ADN nurses.
ADN
ADN (Associate Degree in Nursing) is the 2-3 year Associate degree level, which can be obtained at a community college or junior college. The associate degree level of nursing was originated when there was a shortage for nurses during Second World War. Primarily AND nurses were known as technical personnel’s by working under the professional nurses’ supervision and by assisting them. Eventually associate degree level of nursing became more popular and is considered as an attractive path for those who want a shortened, less expensive way to become registered nurses.
BSN
A Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN) is a four-year academic degree which are knowledge, theory and research based on the entire picture of the field of nursing.
The BSN is the minimum educational requirement for professional nursing practice. BSN
References: Graf, C. (2006). ADN to BSN: lessons from Human Capital Theory. Nursing Ergonomics$, 24(3), 135-142. American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2007). The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice Lucy J. Hood and Susan Leddy (2010). Leddy & Pepper 's Conceptual Bases of Professional Nursing Klein, C. (2006). Educational innovation. Linking competency-based assessment to successful clinical practice Spencer, J. (2008). Increasing RN-BSN enrollments: facilitating articulation through curriculum reform