Differences In Nursing

Provider of Patient Centered Care

There are several different degrees in nursing that may be obtained. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) endorses three routes of becoming a registered nurse (RN) including: the 3-year diploma program, the 3-year associate degree in nursing (ADN) program and the 4-year baccalaureate of nursing (BSN) program (American Association of College of Nursing [AACN], 2014, para. 3). Although, there are differences in nursing degrees all three take the same NCLEX-RN exam (AACN, 2014, para. 3). There are, however, some differences in competencies in regards to providers of patient-centered care.
Differences in Competencies Baccalaureate prepared nursing includes all the of same competencies as
the diploma and associate prepared nurses but also includes a more in-depth focus on nursing research, public and community health, nursing management and humanities (AACN, 2014, para. 4). As providers of patient-centered care, all RNs use clinical reasoning and knowledge based on the degree of nursing studied and evidenced-based practice outcomes; however the BSN nurse includes research studies as the basis for decision making and comprehensive patient care (Texas Board of Nursing [BON], 2011, p. 7 & 11). Another difference when comparing ADN and BSN nurses includes the assessment data competency.
ADN nurses “analyze assessment data to identify problems, formulate goals/outcomes, and develop plans of care for patients and their families using information from evidence-based data in collaboration with patients and their families, and interdisciplinary health care team” (BON, 2011, p. 7). BSN nurses synthesize the information using evidence-based data as well as published research and also include populations and communities when developing plans of care (BON, 2011, p. 11). Completing course work for the RN-BSN program has given me a better understanding of the differences in the ADN vs BSN nursing degrees. I was unaware that the BON had different competencies for ADN and BSN nurses in regards to patient-centered care providers. I am now aware that BSN nursing care not only involves the patient and their family but also involves populations and the community. I am also now aware that patient-centered care is based on research and theories in nursing. Competencies in nursing care continue to promote a boarder scope of practice to ensure safe and good quality patient-centered care. The competencies outlined by the BON for BSN nurses provide them with a better understanding of how cultural, political, economic and social issues affect patients and its influence on health care
delivery.
Student Learning Outcomes
1. Provide patient-centered care for individuals, families and communities. As an RN caring for patients in the labor and delivery department, I frequently provide patient-centered care to patients and their family members. An assignment for the Population-Focused Community Health course required me to explore issues in healthcare that frequently arise when caring for the elderly and underprivileged. It can be difficult for these groups to obtain health care when needed due to being uninsured or underinsured. Through this assignment, I became more aware of the importance of educating and making health care more accessible at the community level.
2. Patient safety. Patient safety was a topic discussed in essentially every course throughout the program. In Information Systems and Quality Management, we were required to submit a power point presentation on a topic relating to healthcare information systems (IS) and technologies. The topic I chose to present was related to the impact of IS on improvements in patient safety. With the advancements of IS in healthcare, patient safety is increasingly at risk. Improving patient safety is vital when caring for patients on a daily basis.
3. Work as an effective member of interdisciplinary teams to ensure continuous and safe patient care. As part of a healthcare team, we must work as an effective member of the interdisciplinary team to ensure continuous and safe care for our patients. In the Issues and Trends in Nursing course, we were asked to discuss importance of effective communication between interdisciplinary teams. According to the World Health Organization, interprofessional collaborative practice is a situation that occurs “when multiple health workers from different professional backgrounds work together with patients, families, careers, and communities to deliver the highest quality of care’.” (Bell, 2014, p. 239). Research for this assignment as well as others provided me with an enhanced acknowledge of importance of interdisciplinary teamwork.
4. Provide safe care to individuals, families and communities through individual performance and system effectiveness. Providing safe care to individuals, families and communities are an important part of nursing. In the Risk Analysis and Implication for Practice course we explored medication administration safety. The assignment required us to compare the failure modes and effects analysis and root cause analysis tools. We also discussed ways to prevent medication errors, methods of reporting errors as well as the peer review process.
5. Employee evidence-based practice by integrating current research with clinical expertise and patient values to provide optimal patient care. In Introduction to Evidence, we completed an assignment after interviewing our department manager or another health care provider involved in the development of policies and procedures. While interviewing my department manager, she stressed the importance of staying up to date with evidence-based policies and procedures and position statements as outlined by associations such as The Joint Commission, American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, etc.
6. Utilize informatics to enhance patient safety, manage knowledge and information, make decisions and communicate more effectively. Informatics in healthcare is an evolving asset in providing good quality and safe patient care. In the Information Systems (IS) and Quality improvement course, we explored issues and trends in utilizing technology informatics in healthcare. An assignment that we received was to design a power point presentation to discuss the impact and challenges related to healthcare IS and technology. A topic I discussed in the power point presentation was the effect of IS on effective communication. Through the use of IS, patient information is available to all members of the interdisciplinary team. Having access to pertinent patient information is vital for effective communication and decision making while providing safe patient care.
7.
Apply quality improvement measures to continually improve health outcomes consistent with current professional knowledge. As a labor and delivery nurse, we are constant looking for ways to improve our practice to improve health outcomes that are consistent with current professional evidence-based practice. In the Introduction to Evidence course, we were instructed to complete a level of evidence assignment. The assignment required the students to interview our unit manager concerning the implementation of current evidenced-based policies and procedures. During the interview with my director, we explored the mechanisms in place to ensure that the policies and procedures are current and who is responsible for ensuring that they are kept up to
date.