Differences in competencies
It is obvious that the provision of the high-quality medical care and services is one of the main tasks of the modern healthcare sector. However, the increased complexity of the environment and new challenges result in the great level of demands to professionals working in the given area. The tendency towards the usage of new complicated tools and equipment also conditions the necessity of the great level of competence among health workers responsible for the delivery of a certain service. If to speak about nurses, the level of training is crucial as it predetermines success of a certain issue and assures that a patient will be able to recover. Yet, it could be used as the main determiner of a nurses efficiency. The fact is that there are no major differences between the cognitive abilities of students in baccalaureate and associate degree programs. It means that differences could be noticed in the level of training and skills obtained during this process. Nevertheless, the associate degree nursing curriculum (AAS) is a two-year program that is focused on the nurses preparation for the application of technical and clinical skills upon graduation (The impact of education on nursing practice, n.d.).
The baccalaureate degree nursing curriculum (BSN) is a four-year program that rests on the technical and clinical skills (Bachelor of science in nursing, n.d.). Yet, the program also incorporates psychological, ethical, legal, and evidence-based nursing in the curriculum (The impact of education on nursing practice, n.d.). For this reason, baccalaureate nurses are mainly perceived as being better prepared for various nursing competencies and perform the professional role for which they are ready (Accelerated RN to BSN or RN to BSN/MNSc, n.d.). However, associate degree nurses are seen as performing in the technical role which is known for them (The impact of education on nursing practice, n.d.), and they might also have leadership roles which are rather new. It becomes obvious that there are significant differences in the duties and responsibilities distributed to these health workers. Nurses perform the role they were taught. They might be similar; however, the differences in the way they work and functions they perform result in the appearance of two various types of programs. Altogether, these types of competencies are focused on the delivery of a high-quality nursing care which is crucial for patients recovery. Besides, the given distributional pattern contributes to the increased efficiency of the whole health care sector and assures that a health worker will have a great competence in a certain important sphere. The existence of these significant differences contributes to the great efficiency of modern nurses and their ability to help patients recover and improve the quality of their lives.
Patient care situation
The functioning of any nurse presupposes the appearance of numerous challenges and complex situations that demand the introduction of certain measures needed to help a patient and guarantee his/her recovery. Yet, the great diversity of cases and existing problems condition the usage of various competencies and skills to obtain the needed result. Moreover, the approaches to decision-making or nursing care delivery also differ based upon the nature of the case and the educational preparation of a nurse. To demonstrate the given statement, it is possible to provide the given example. A Hispanic patient suffering from pains of unknown origin is delivered to the hospital. His state is complex, and there is the need for some additional investigation and analysis. It is obvious that team working with a patient should have different competencies. Besides, associate nurses will provide patients with a specific care and guarantee the appropriate usage of equipment needed to collect the needed data and provide it to a specialist who will be able to make a certain conclusion.
Yet, neither ASN or BSN nurses are not allowed to reveal a disease. That is why a diplomate should work with the collected data and analyze it. However, there is another possible problem that might appear from the nature of the case. A patient might be not able to communicate because of the language and cultural barrier. BSN nurses were trained to work with people under these very conditions. The given situation should be considered a perfect example that could be used to demonstrate the efficiency of the distributional pattern used in the modern health care sector. A team of specialists is able to perform various tasks resting on their complexity and its members competencies. As stated above, specialists with various level of training should work in different areas and be able to provide patients with the needed care. However, baccalaureate nurses are able to mind psychological and ethical peculiarities of a patient and explore the most appropriate patterns that could promote a speedy recovery. One should also realize the fact that the adherence to the given distributional pattern will help to increase efficiency significantly and assure that all patients will be safe.
Altogether, there are significant differences between baccalaureate and associate nurses as they perform various tasks. That is why they should be given certain instructions and chosen for the appropriate cases. Only under these conditions, one could guarantee the efficient functioning of the healthcare sector.
References
Accelerated RN to BSN or RN to BSN/MNSc. (n.d.). Web.
Bachelor of science in nursing. (n.d.). Web.
The impact of education on nursing practice. (n.d.). Web.