Nurse Vs. Baccalaureate Prepared Nurses: A Comparative Study
Differences in competences between associate degree prepared nurse versus the baccalaureate prepared nurse.
Maureen N Iwuoha
Grand Canyon University:
September 5, 2014
Differences in competences between associate degree prepared nurse versus baccalaureate prepared nurse. Competency is the measured degree of performance that integrates skills, ability, judgment and knowledge as defined by the American nurses association, in other words competency is the ability of an individual to do a job properly. In this paper the focus is to discuss the competency between these degree programs and the differences if any exist between the skill, performance and critical thinking of the associate degree nurse and baccalaureate degree nurse and the length of education and their benefit to health care today. As described above both baccalaureate degree nurse and associate degree nurse share the same competencies as each are taught and grounded by the same foundation, but one could say that an associate degree nurse is technical nurse and a baccalaureate degree nurse is a professional nurse because the focus of training for the associate degree nurse is …show more content…
on clinical skills and baccalaureate degree nurse is based on leadership, research, managerial as well as clinical skills.
The length of education between these program is that the associate degree nurse spends two years in a community college which was as a result of shortage of nursing during world war two, was designed to train nurses to develop the necessary skill for clinical set up in a much shorter time and was less expensive and a baccalaureate degree nurse spends four years in the state college which offers a comprehensive span that includes the theories of nursing that help understand the field in handling technical situation and evidenced based nursing solution, but one would say is not the degree but the person that matters, as a friend stated it is better to be taken care of by a compassionate experienced associate degree nurse than an ego and degree driven baccalaureate degree nurse. As said earlier both baccalaureate degree nurse and associate degree nurse are both equally educated to practice in their perspective areas of nursing because both play important role in the nursing field but aspiring for a higher degree is recommended, Benner et al (2009) recommended that all registered nurses entry level start at the BSN level also instituting that all registered nurses work at obtaining a master degree within their first ten years of practice . The Tri-council also issued a statement calling for all nurses to advance their education in the interest of enhancing quality and safety across health care setting, Tri-Council for nursing (2010 May). Research in magnet hospitals also reveals a coloration between baccalaureate degree and increase in patient outcome as nurses prepared at the baccalaureate level were linked with lower mortality and failure to rescue rates, McHugh et al (2012,October). However the associate degree holder who has been through the different level of nursing and obtained baccalaureate degree will be more experienced and competent than straight baccalaureate degree holder or the nurse who stopped at the associate degree. A patient care scenario where a tracheostomy patient informs his nurse that he is unable to breath according to the nurse his family just left his bed side , vitals are stable patient already suctioned but still unable to breath she informed her charge nurse , question to the nurse ,was the inner cannula cleaned ? no answered the nurse first clean the inner cannula and make sure there is no mucus plug, did the family have an argument at the bed side answer by nurse may be because they left in a hurry, the charge nurse states they upset the patient and now he is having an anxiety episode which is an external environmental factor that can affect the outcome of a patient as described in the nursing theories. As written in the case above critical thinking is a necessary part of baccalaureate degree nurse to help in qualitative collection patient data that eventually result in resolution of problems that affect overall outcome of patient recovery. References
Benner, P., Sutphen, M., Leonard. & Day.(2009).Educating Nurses : A Call for Radical Transformation. Carnegie Foundation for the advancement of Teach.San Francisco:jossey-Bass.
Educational advancement of registered nurses. (2010, May 14). Retrieved September 5, 2014, from http://www.aacn.edu/Education/pdf/TricouncilEdStatement.pdf McHugh, M.D., Kelly,L.A.,Smith, H.L.,WuU,E.S.,Vanak,J.M.&Aiken,L.H. (2012, October).Lower mortality in Magnet Hospitals. Medical Care, Publication forthcoming.
Maureen N Iwuoha
Grand Canyon University:
September 5, 2014
Differences in competences between associate degree prepared nurse versus baccalaureate prepared nurse. Competency is the measured degree of performance that integrates skills, ability, judgment and knowledge as defined by the American nurses association, in other words competency is the ability of an individual to do a job properly. In this paper the focus is to discuss the competency between these degree programs and the differences if any exist between the skill, performance and critical thinking of the associate degree nurse and baccalaureate degree nurse and the length of education and their benefit to health care today. As described above both baccalaureate degree nurse and associate degree nurse share the same competencies as each are taught and grounded by the same foundation, but one could say that an associate degree nurse is technical nurse and a baccalaureate degree nurse is a professional nurse because the focus of training for the associate degree nurse is …show more content…
on clinical skills and baccalaureate degree nurse is based on leadership, research, managerial as well as clinical skills.
The length of education between these program is that the associate degree nurse spends two years in a community college which was as a result of shortage of nursing during world war two, was designed to train nurses to develop the necessary skill for clinical set up in a much shorter time and was less expensive and a baccalaureate degree nurse spends four years in the state college which offers a comprehensive span that includes the theories of nursing that help understand the field in handling technical situation and evidenced based nursing solution, but one would say is not the degree but the person that matters, as a friend stated it is better to be taken care of by a compassionate experienced associate degree nurse than an ego and degree driven baccalaureate degree nurse. As said earlier both baccalaureate degree nurse and associate degree nurse are both equally educated to practice in their perspective areas of nursing because both play important role in the nursing field but aspiring for a higher degree is recommended, Benner et al (2009) recommended that all registered nurses entry level start at the BSN level also instituting that all registered nurses work at obtaining a master degree within their first ten years of practice . The Tri-council also issued a statement calling for all nurses to advance their education in the interest of enhancing quality and safety across health care setting, Tri-Council for nursing (2010 May). Research in magnet hospitals also reveals a coloration between baccalaureate degree and increase in patient outcome as nurses prepared at the baccalaureate level were linked with lower mortality and failure to rescue rates, McHugh et al (2012,October). However the associate degree holder who has been through the different level of nursing and obtained baccalaureate degree will be more experienced and competent than straight baccalaureate degree holder or the nurse who stopped at the associate degree. A patient care scenario where a tracheostomy patient informs his nurse that he is unable to breath according to the nurse his family just left his bed side , vitals are stable patient already suctioned but still unable to breath she informed her charge nurse , question to the nurse ,was the inner cannula cleaned ? no answered the nurse first clean the inner cannula and make sure there is no mucus plug, did the family have an argument at the bed side answer by nurse may be because they left in a hurry, the charge nurse states they upset the patient and now he is having an anxiety episode which is an external environmental factor that can affect the outcome of a patient as described in the nursing theories. As written in the case above critical thinking is a necessary part of baccalaureate degree nurse to help in qualitative collection patient data that eventually result in resolution of problems that affect overall outcome of patient recovery. References
Benner, P., Sutphen, M., Leonard. & Day.(2009).Educating Nurses : A Call for Radical Transformation. Carnegie Foundation for the advancement of Teach.San Francisco:jossey-Bass.
Educational advancement of registered nurses. (2010, May 14). Retrieved September 5, 2014, from http://www.aacn.edu/Education/pdf/TricouncilEdStatement.pdf McHugh, M.D., Kelly,L.A.,Smith, H.L.,WuU,E.S.,Vanak,J.M.&Aiken,L.H. (2012, October).Lower mortality in Magnet Hospitals. Medical Care, Publication forthcoming.