Introduction
Every person who take up nursing as a career faces the necessity of the choice among entry-level nursing programs, which finish with associate or baccalaureate degrees. Nurse managers of healthcare facilities also have to make a choice when hiring nursing graduates because their task is to create a professional and qualified workforce. Although both associate- and baccalaureate-level graduates have to pass the same exam before they are allowed to work independently, there are some dissimilarities between the programs of preparation and, consequently, competencies of associate degree nurses and those of baccalaureate degree nurses differ. This paper compares these competencies and their application to nursing practice.
Competencies of the Associate-Degree Level versus the Baccalaureate-Degree Level Nurses
According to “Grand Canyon University College of Nursing and Health Care Professions Philosophy” (2016), nursing programs follow the goal of preparing nurse graduates “to provide excellent, holistic care while encouraging a passion for achievement, a lifelong curiosity for knowledge, and pursuit of advanced professional degrees” (p. 1). To achieve this goal, curricula are developed in accordance with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) guidelines. Both associate- and baccalaureate-level graduates are expected to pass NCLEZ-RN licensing examination (AACN, 2015). After the exam, a graduate gets a status of a registered nurse. Still, its tests check only minimal technical competencies necessary for safe practice. Apart from this similarity, there are some differences between the two levels of preparation.
The first difference is the educational curriculum. Programs for Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) usually last from 18 to 24 months and can be completed in community colleges (“Associate degree versus a Bachelor degree,” 2018). Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program takes four years to complete. This degree can be obtained mainly in colleges and universities. Because of longer and better training, BSN nurses are generally better qualified than ADN, meaning that they can perform more functions due to a variety of competencies they get during their studies and practice. Thus, ADN nurses usually are in charge of basic patient care. As a rule, they work under guidance and supervision of BSN nurses. At the same time, BSN nurses can conduct more complicated interventions under the supervision of a doctor or be in charge of other nurses. Both ADN and BSN nurses share such competencies as communicative and assessing. They are able to communicate within the team of healthcare professionals and can assess the condition of a patient. BSN has a broader scope of competencies, including critical thinking, patient teaching, leading, and making decisions (“Grand Canyon University,” 2016).
The second important difference is the quality of care received by patients. Considering the fact that BSN nurses are better trained and can perform a broader range of interventions, it can be concluded that they can provide care of better quality. Some studies prove that better qualified nurses contribute to the improvement of patient outcomes. For example, Blegen, Goode, Park, Vaughn, and Spetz (2013) provide evidence that healthcare facilities where the majority of nursing staff has baccalaureate or higher degrees demonstrate “lower congestive heart failure mortality, decubitus ulcers, failure to rescue, and postoperative deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism and shorter length of stay” (p. 89). Thus, the advantages of BSN both for nurses and hospitals which hire them, are evident.
Analysis of Patient Situation
The approaches to patient care and decision-making of ADN and BSN can also differ. For example, in case a patient is admitted for severe chest pain, an ADN nurse can provide a general assessment of patient’s condition, but is not allowed to perform any manipulations. At the same time, a BSN nurse can record patient symptoms, his or her medical and family history, support the family members, decide on the necessity of laboratory tests before the doctor arrives. Later, in the process of care, it is the responsibility of a BSN nurse to provide the necessary patient education, consult with doctors about the process of treatment, supervise the rest of the nursing staff about the peculiarities of care, and also provide patient care. Thus, in any patient situation, especially in critical care units, BSN nurses have greater responsibility and more opportunities to help than ADN due to peculiarities of their preparation and general level of competencies. Consequently, BSN make a bigger contribution to patient outcomes and the quality of care than ADN nurses while both types of nursing professionals are important for healthcare facilities.
Conclusions
Summarizing, it should be mentioned that although both ADN and BSN are the entry-level nursing programs, graduate nurses possess different competencies and take different responsibilities in the process of care. While they both provide general assessment and communication, BSN nurses cooperate closely with doctors and are allowed to conduct more complex procedures. ASN, on the contrary, can act under guidance of BSN and are not allowed to perform serious manipulations. These dissimilarities can be explained by different programs of preparation, which result in variations in levels of professional preparation and the set of competencies possessed by a nurse.
References
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2015). Creating a more highly qualified nursing workforce. Web.
Associate degree versus a Bachelor degree in registered nursing. (2018). Web.
Blegen, M., Goode, C., Park, S., Vaughn, T., & Spetz, J. (2013). Baccalaureate education in nursing and patient outcomes. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 43(2), 89-94. Web.
Grand Canyon University College of Nursing and Health Care Professions philosophy. (2016).