Jeffrey Parker
Grand Canyon University
NRS-430V-O104
August 31, 2013
Associate -Degree Versus the Baccalaureate - degree level in nursing
My theory is that the more education a nurse has the better he/she can be at their job of taking care of patient as a whole and on a complex level.
To obtain a Nursing Degree one can start at the LVN or go all the way to a PHD in nursing. This paper will focus on the abilities or competencies of a prepared Associate Degree nurse, and the abilities or competencies of a Baccalaureate Degree Nurse. This is a hot topic now and has been for many years. I have been hearing for many years that ADN will be phased out, and only BSN will be used in the future. The time period in which to mandate this event is governed differently by the state where the nurse works. There are catchy phrases out there like BNS in 10, or BSN by 2020. “As of 2010, at least 18 states, including New York, New Jersey, were considering BSN in 10 legislation.” (nursing link 2011, 07.)
The first step is to define nursing. “Nursing is the knowledge based discipline, which focuses on the wholeness of human being.” (studymode, 2012,02.) The ADN nurse and BSN take a different approach in teaching their students. They both take the same state mandated NCLEX, but have a different time of training. “The Associated Degree takes a shorter path of two years where the BSN takes a longer with 4 years of education to complete the degree.” (studymode, 2012,02.) Now to break this down and let you know the difference of a 2 and 4 year nursing program. The Associate trained nurse is more task oriented, while the BSN is based on theory and research. I having a diploma hospital based program spent 4 or more days in the hospital setting, but my wife has her BSN and she tells me she usually only spent 1 or 1.5 days at the hospital. I see this now also, where I work we see the Associate nurses more than the BSN students. The clinical
References: Fink, J. (2011, 07 11). 6 reasons to get a BSN. Retrieved from nursinglink.monster.com/education/articles/3542-6-reasons-to-get-a-bsn?print+=true. Marybabu. (2012, 02). Bsn vs Associate Degree in Nursing. Retrieved from studymode.com/essays/Bsn-Vs-Associate-Degree-In-Nursing . Medicine, I. o. (2010). The Future of Nursing. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. PÉREZ-PEÑA, R. (2012, 06 23). Why a BSN? The New York Times, pp. 1-2. Rosseter, R. (2012, 10 24). American Association of nursing Creating a More Highly Qualified Nursing Workforce. Retrieved from www.accn.nche.edu/media-relation/facts-sheets/nursing-workforce. Smoothieshah. (2012, 08 30). Difference between adn and bsn nurses. Retrieved from studymode.com/essy/Differences-between-adn-and-bsn.