...Nurses receive education in the United States by completing a baccalaureate degree (BSN), associate degree (ADN) or diploma program. Graduation from one of these programs allow the nurse to be eligible to write the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), which nursing graduates must pass in order to receive initial licensure (ANA). Once the nurse has achieved licensure, they earn the title of Registered Nurse (RN); little differentiation exists in terms of entry-level practice, so one might wonder why a nursing student would choose a baccalaureate degree program over an associate or diploma program. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the difference in competencies between the ADN and BSN, and how those differences might influence the practice of the nurse. The paper will not discuss the diploma prepared RN because “diploma programs have diminished steadily-to 4% of all basic RN programs in 2006…” (American Nurses Association, 2011) Describing Competency In order to illustrate the difference in competencies between ADN’ and BSN’s, the term competency must be defined and understood. “Competence is a generic term referring to a person’s overall capacity, while competency refers to specific capabilities…” (Clinton, Murrells, & Robinson, 2005, p. 85) (Clinton, Murrells, & Robinson, 2005). How do the competencies of ADN’s and BSN’s differ? In 1988 the Texas legislature mandated a...
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...defines a competency as “an expected level of performance that integrates knowledge skills, ability and judgment”. In these terms, the competency among ADN and BSN looks same, but there are some differences in various levels. In simple terms ADN is a “technical” nurse and BSN is a “professional” nurse. This difference is because ADN is trained mostly on clinical skills, while BSN training is focused on leadership, nursing research, management as well as clinical skills. Currently in United States Associated degree nurses usually receive this in 2 years on a community college settings. The Associate degree programs are designed to train students to provide entry level care in hospital settings. A large present of nurses take the associate degree pathway because of the shortened amount of time to begin work as a registered nurse and it is less expensive, compare to BSN program. The ADN demonstrate the competences in various aspect of patient care. This includes prevention, promotion, rehabilitations, maintenance and restoration of health of individuals of all age. Most of the competences the ADN applied to his or her work from the daily work experiences. Once graduated from school the ADN has to go through a period of orientation. Up on starting the carrier ADN is able to do the assessment by gathering information. The ADN collect patients medical and surgical history. Also does the head to toe assessment. They are competent to assess the pain level, risk of fall, possible...
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...Running head: DIFFERENCES IN COMPETENCIES BETWEEN ADN AND BSN Differences in competencies between ADN and BSN NRS- 430 V Grand Canyon University Michael Jones December/02/2012 DIFFERENCIES IN COMPETENCIES BETWEEN ADN AND BSN Nursing professions is undergoing rapid changes and are inevitable. Nurses should be able to adapt and practice these changes in order to provide quality health care to the society. Nurses are the vital part of the evolving health care arena, since our profession is getting more complex and demanding it is our responsibly to be competent in the profession for the better outcome. As there are differences in curriculum, there are visible differences in competencies. Both programs provide essential education for the students in order to practice whereas baccalaureate program is broad base which also includes teaching in critical thinking, leadership and management (Differentiated Essential Competencies ,2010). Nurses who possess baccalaureate degree have the capability to meet the complex and unpredictable needs of the divers population even in an unstructured environment. Studies show that there are decreased rate in medication errors, death rates when patients are cared by baccalaureate degree nurses (AACN, 2011). Majority of the task and responsibilities remains same for both the associate degree nurses and baccalaureate nurses. The associate degree nurses are very proficient in bedside nursing as they acquire knowledge through hands-on...
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...DIFFERENTIAL BETWEEN ADN AND BSN Competency Differential Between ADN and BSN Grand Canyon University NRS-430V Competency Differential Between ADN and BSN The role of a nurse has been recognized for centuries. The educational requirements of a nurse have been debated for about as long. Throughout the centuries, the role of the nurse has changed and at the same time, so have the education requirements for entry into the profession. Nurses have been educated in different scholastic settings throughout the ages and although nurses function in similar roles within the workplace, there are differences in competency based on educational background. This paper will focus on the competency differences in students trained at the associate level versus those trained at the baccalaureate level. Prior to 1909, prospective nurses were taught in hospital-based schools. These nurses earned their Diploma in Nursing after spending 2-3 years of intense training, living and working in a hospital. In 1909, the first permanent undergraduate university nursing program was established at the University of Minnesota. The time and money that was required for university programs made it difficult for many and enrollment was extremely low compared to the hospital-based diploma programs (Creasia & Friberg, 2011). In 1924, working with an endowment established by the Rockefeller Foundation, Annie Goodrich started a baccalaureate program, Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN), at Yale University...
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...Prepared at the Associate-Degree Level Versus the Baccalaureate-Degree Level Patricia A. Wrecke Grand Canyon University: NRS-430V December 10, 2014 If you were a patient, do you think you would be able to tell the difference if you had a baccalaureate degree nurse vs. an associate degree nurse? Both the ADN and the BSN have the specifications needed that you get from accredited colleges to take the NCLEX. Once they pass they have licensure to practice as an RN and are capable of going into and being successful in any type of patient care setting. Let us compare the associate and bachelor degree and see if there are any differences or similarities. Some studies show that the BSN prepared nurse can have better patient outcomes. We will look at an example of a clinical situation to show if there is a difference in the care of the patient between an association degree RN and a baccalaureate degree RN. Mildred Montag was a nurse following World War ll. She saw a need to make more nurses in a shorter amount of time so she shortened the four year BSN and made a two year degree program to make technical nurses. (Grand Canyon University, 2014, Mildred Montag slide). These programs did well because they didn’t cost as much and they took less time. In the ITT Tech (2014) Nursing Associate’s Degree Program, things that are addressed in their education are “nursing values, nursing process, health promotion and maintenance...
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...their formal education; (2) Recent studies have indicated that there are improved patient outcomes in hospitals which employ higher educated nurses; (3) A poor economy during a nursing shortage means high demand and less incentive for nurses to return to school for higher education; and (4) The worsening faculty shortage means an increased need for nurses to advance their education. Understanding nurses’ attitudes and perceptions may help identify gaps in our knowledge, determine ways to foster positive attitudes toward education learning among nurses, and allow us to entice nurses to return to school. It may also identify crucial steps to ensure the provision of quality healthcare. Keywords: nursing; attitudes; continuing education; RN-BSN; post-registration education; literature review THE PROBLEM H ealthcare is a fast paced, dynamic environment where providers of care should continually renew, update, and challenge their knowledge. ‘The complexity of medical and surgical interventions undertaken in hospitals requires an even bigger and more sophisticated clinical workforce’ (Aiken, Clarke, & Sloane, 2002, p. 187). The idea that basic nursing education will prepare a nurse for a lifetime of practice is no longer reasonable given rapid technological...
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...The State of Oregon’s Nursing Schools and the US Nursing Shortage Analysis by Bridget Nickerson Introduction * The United States has been aware of an impending shortage in the qualified nursing staff of US hospitals since the late 1990’s. Oregon actively began addressing the problem in the early 2000’s. The state of Oregon has Sixteen Associate degree programs for Registered Nurses, and six baccalaureate degree programs (offered at 10 universities). There are currently four universities that offer RN to BSN completion programs; however, only Portland State University and Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) offer advanced degree programs (MSN & PhD). * I have a long-term career goal of breaking into the field of public health administration. From my experience working at OHSU I’ve gotten firsthand knowledge of how interconnected a health system is with the education and research institutions. I believe that it is this symbiotic relationship that will creates excellent care providers and in turn leads to exceptional patient care. Therefore, I chose this topic as I believe the relationship between Oregon healthcare providers and Oregon educational institutions is vital to the analysis and search for solutions to the current healthcare crisis facing the US. The Problem The United States is currently experiencing a Nursing shortage that will get exponentially worse in the next 10 years. The state of Oregon is no exception to this trend. There...
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...The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12956.html Committee on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Initiative on the Future of Nursing, at the Institute of Medicine PREPUBLICATION COPY: UNCORRECTED PROOFS Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health http://www.nap.edu/catalog/12956.html THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001 NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance. This study was supported by Contract No. 65815 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project. International Standard Book Number 0-309-XXXXX-X (Book) International Standard Book Number 0-309- XXXXX -X (PDF) Library of Congress Control Number: 00 XXXXXX Additional copies of this report are available from the National Academies...
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...GOFF, ANNE-MARIE, Ph.D. Stressors, Academic Performance, and Learned Resourcefulness in Baccalaureate Nursing Students. (2009) Directed by Dr. David F. Ayers. 135 pp. Despite extensive research establishing that stress affects problem-solving ability and coping, and leads to decreased learning, academic performance, and retention in nursing students, a paucity of research explores specific factors that could enhance these learning processes and outcomes. This explanatory correlational study examines the mediating effect of learned resourcefulness, the ability to regulate emotions and cognitions, on the relationships of stressors—both personal and academic—to academic performance in baccalaureate nursing students. Gadzella’s Student-life Stress Inventory (SSI) and Rosenbaum’s Self-Control Scale (SCS), a measure of learned resourcefulness, were administered to 53 junior level baccalaureate nursing students (92.5% female; 84.9% Caucasian; 9.4% African-American or Black) at a large urban university in North Carolina. High levels of both personal and academic stressors were revealed, but were not significant predictors of academic performance (p = .90). Age was a significant predictor of academic performance (p < .01) and both males and African-American/ Black participants had higher learned resourcefulness scores on the SCS than females and Caucasians. Total stress scores on the Student-life Stress Inventory showed that male participants perceived less stress (N = 4, M = 116.5)...
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