According to the American Association of Nursing (AACN), nursing is a professional field that entails the process of caring, supporting, and organizing health abilities, preventing ailment and harm, easing pain by diagnosing and management of people response, and supporting for the care of persons, families, societies, and populations. In the United States, for one to qualify as a nurse, he or she needs to complete an associate degree (ADN), a baccalaureate degree (BSN), or diploma program after which they are allowed to be seated for and pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Excelling in the exam is the key to being awarded the initial licensure (ANA) and to earn the title of Registered Nurse (RN), but minimal difference exist regarding the entry-level practice of the three nursing groups. However, the training offered during the course leads to a difference in competency between BSN and ADN, which end up influencing how services are offered.
Differences and in Competencies between BSN and ADN
BSN offers more knowledge to nurses as they are provided with critical thinking skills when dealing with complicated patients in addition to chances for taking on leadership roles. Baccalaureate education prepares nurses in a manner that they get to enjoy professional mobility and advancements in their carriers, but this does not imply that associate degree nurses are less important. Associate degree nurses portray the integral role in nursing because their training entails care planning, introduction to diseases and hands-on skills among others (Fero, Witsberger, Wesmiller, Zullo, & Hoffman, 2009). Nurses who have been prepared with a BSN tend a shorter list of deceased patients than associate degree nurses because the level of education and management preparedness for bachelor nurses is high, allowing them to correctly diagnose a patient and manage diverse complex scenarios. BSN nurses not only diagnose patients on their present condition but also try to perceive the problems that may arise due to the care being administered at that moment. Problems do arise as side effects after patients have been treated and it is the role of the nurses to identify the probability of such complication, which may be missed by associate degree nurses. However, associate degree nurses are the best bed-sitters for patients because most of them have them have been groomed to offer the companion to the sick. The experience of dealing with patients is what makes nurses prepared with BSN more equipped and prepared to deal with patients in addition to their superior knowledge in the field of nursing (Klein, & Fowles, 2009). A BSN prepared registered nurse is in a better position to know whatever symptom an ill person may present with, but this does not mean that they are better than associate degree nurses because they all work together to ensure patients get well. BSN nurses have also been contributed by the fact that BSN nurses have more hours that expose them to wide pharmacology, pathophysiology, and examination entailing every aspect of the nursing profession. Therefore, individuals with an interest in becoming nurses are advised to pursue the Baccalaureate education in order to gain more insight into the profession through the vast knowledge offered in addition benefiting from many opportunities in the field.
Decision Making Difference at Both Levels
Even though education plays an important role in the performance of nurses by helping to lower the mortality rates and occurrence of mistakes, decision-making should also be factored in as one of the aids to performance. Nurses need to have the ability to make informed decisions within a short time during various scenarios in order to help save lives Liana (Orsolini-Hain & Verle, 2009). For example, a patient who is fully dependent on insulin may be getting ready to be discharged from the hospital. When associate nurses are addressing such a situation, they are most likely to enlighten the patient on how to utilize their blood sugar equipment, how to correctly draw insulin in a syringe, and how to compute the dosage of sliding scale insulin concerning the blood test outcome. Additionally, the associate degree nurse will give the patient printed discharge instructions paper from the hospital to go through and release the patient from the facility. On the other hand, baccalaureate degree nurse will carry out all the above steps that an associate degree nurse would do, but they would go further to prepare the patient with better life management skills via interviews and referring them to community facilities to eradicate the possibility of readmission. Additionally, BSN prepared nurses are likely to offer advice on equipment the patient needs to solve trivial problems that may arise while at home, such as a drop in the blood sugar levels.
In conclusion, BSN prepared nurses and associate degree nurses differ in their competence because BSN nurses have more hours that expose them to wider pharmacology, pathophysiology, and examination entailing every aspect of the nursing profession. Their decision-making also differs considering that BSN prepared nurses are most likely to guide patients by making the decisions that reduce the chances of readmission, unlike associate nurses who only prepare them for discharge. Therefore, students with an interest in becoming nurses are advised to go for BSN education in order to gain more wholesome skills in addition to benefiting from the many opportunities in the field.
References
Fero, L. J., Witsberger, C. M., Wesmiller, S. W., Zullo, T. G., & Hoffman, L. A. (2009). Critical thinking ability of new graduate and experienced nurses.Journal of advanced nursing, 65(1), 139-148.
Klein, C. J., & Fowles, E. R. (2009). An investigation of nursing competence and the competency outcomes performance assessment curricular approach: senior students' self-reported perceptions. Journal of Professional Nursing, 25(2), 109-121
Liana Orsolini-Hain PhD, R. N., & Verle Waters MA, R. N. (2009). Education evolution: A historical perspective of associate degree nursing. Journal of Nursing Education, 48(5), 266.
