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Difference Between Adn and Bsn

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Difference Between Associate- Degree Level Nurses and Bachelor- Degree Nurses There is always a question about which program is better; Is it the associate’s degree in nursing program provided by community colleges or the baccalaureate of science in nursing program provided by colleges and universities? One similarity is for sure that nurses from both programs can take the NCLEX-RN exam. Before I started college I was debating whether I should go to school for an Associate Degree in Nursing or a Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing, but because I just had a baby and the university is one hour away from our home, I decided to go ahead and enter the registered nursing program in our community college. I know that there is a lot of differences between nurses that are prepared at the associate-degree level versus the baccalaureate degree level in nursing that is why I set a goal that someday I will go back to school for my Bachelor’s degree. This paper will be explaining the difference in competencies between nurses prepared at the associate degree level versus the baccalaureate degree level in nursing by comparing their education, patient care and opportunities. This paper will also give some examples about a patient care situation in which how nursing care approaches to decision making may differ based upon the educational preparation of a BSN versus ADN.
Associate Degree Nurses and Baccalaureate Nurses Differences with Education
An associate’s degree in nursing (ADN) program is two years shorter than the baccalaureate degree , and focuses on clinical skills and learning technical aspects of nursing appropriate for patient care and family care. It lacks theory and science about nursing as a profession and usually practice a restricted level of nursing care. A baccalaureate of science in nursing program is a four-year degree. Baccalaureate programs include all of the technical aspects of nursing, such as caring for patients and their family members during illness, recovery after medical treatment and discharge teaching, which is similar to ADN. Baccalaureate programs also emphasize on evidence-based clinical practice and leadership that includes research, population-based care, statistics, nursing management, and the humanities.
The American Association of College of Nursing and other authorities believe that education has a strong impact on a nurse’s ability to practice and that patients deserve the best educated nursing workforce possible. A growing body of research reinforces this belief and shows a connection between baccalaureate education and lower mortality rates. (“The Impact of Education on Nursing Practice”, 2013)
Associate Degree Nurses and Baccalaureate Nurses Differences in Patient Care Patient care safety is one of the most important roles of nursing. Any nurse should be responsible for their action. A nurse must be able to make critical decisions before implementing care to their patients, question a doctor if an order doesn’t sound right and to help patients go through different changes and decisions. Good communication skills are also important to get concise history information from the patient and patient’s family. An ADN nurse and BSN nurse can both perform good and safe patient care but the difference is that the BSN nurse are trained more to critically think and good at researching. “More studies related to lower mortality and failure-to –rescue rates continue to show that patient outcomes are improved when care is provided by baccalaureate nurse or higher”. (Haverkamp, 2013). Evidence also showed that the nurses with higher education level are a factor in patient safety and quality of care.
Associate Degree Nurses and Baccalaureate Nurses differences when it comes to career opportunities Associate degree nurses usually works with patients in a more limited type of health care setting. ADN nurses usually work at hospitals, rehab facilities, long-term facilities and clinics. An ADN nurse can also become a charge nurse. BSN nurses, on the other hand, have more opportunities to work in a range of health care settings to acquire professional advancement. BSN nurses can be bedside nurses, case managers, educators, administrators and can also work as a public health and home health nurse. BSN is also a step on advancing education to get a master’s degree. “Master’s degree has more advanced nursing role that relies on best practice and evidence- based research with a focus on evaluation of health, outcome and processes”. (Grand Canyon University College of Nursing Philosophy, 2011)
Patient Care Situation An example of a situation that I encountered during my nursing career between the difference of an ADN nurse and a BSN nurse was during a code blue. One of my coworker who’s a BSN was running the code. I observed that she was calm and confident; a natural leader. She delegated the task to each nurses until the code team arrived. When the doctor came that BSN nurse talk to the doctor with confidence and you can tell that she researched her patient’s history well and even remembered all the medications that she gave. I also observed another situation where an ADN nurse was running a code and everything seems chaotic she ‘s quick but forgetting to delegate and communicate with her colleagues. I also noticed the way she communicated with the doctor and she doesn’t sound confident. Any nurse can be good but I just think that a nurse with a BSN have more advantage because of their focus on leadership, communication and critical thinking. Therefore , a nursing education level is a factor in providing good quality care and patient safety.
In conclusion, having a baccalaureate degree gives a lot of opportunity for nurses to advance their career and have more choices to work in a variety of health care settings compare to a nurse who has an associate degree. A nurse with a baccalaureate degree has better communications skills, leadership and good critical thinkers because of their training. Today, nursing is becoming competitive, and because of this many hospitals preferred nurses with a baccalaureate’s degree. It is time for nurses to think about advancing their career and acquiring more knowledge.

References
Graf, C. (2006). ADN to BSN: Lesson from Human Capital Theory. Nursing Economics, 24(3). 135-142.
Grand Canyon University College of Nursing Philosophy (2011).
Haverkamp, J.J., & Ball, K. (2013). BSN in 10: What is Your Opinion?. AORN Journal, 98(2), 1444-152. Doi:10.1016/j.aorn.2013.06.006:
The Impact of Education on Nursing Practice. (2012). In The American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Retrieved from HYPERLINK "http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/impact-of-education" http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/impact-of-education

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