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Adn vs Bsn Competencies

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How Do the Competencies Differ Between the Associate and Baccalaureate Prepared Nurse?
Sarah Lutrick
Grand Canyon University
Professional Dynamics
NRS-430 V
Michael Jones
January 8, 2014

Nursing is one of the few professions that allows for three entry levels for certification in their field. Associates, Diploma and Baccalaureate prepared nurses all take the same NCLEX exam to obtain licensure. This has been an area of controversy since the 1950s when nursing visionary, Mildred Montag, introduced the two year Associates Degree program for Nurse Technicians in an effort to alleviate the overwhelming shortage of professional nurses following World War II. This has caused confusion to the public as well as other members of healthcare team. While the pass rates for the NCLEX RN licensing exams are comparable, there has been a push for all nurses entering the field of professional nursing as a registered nurse to obtain baccalaureate degrees. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) remarked in a position statement that the professional nurses’ education must contain advanced knowledge of disease processes, nursing theories and evidence based scientific research ("The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice," 2008, p. 8-10).
“With sharp declines in inpatient visits and briefer patient stays increasingly becoming the norm, shifting more health care delivery to outpatient settings, the skills of the BSN nurse are essential for practice in other community sites, such as health maintenance organizations, home health services, community clinics, and managed care firms” (The Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing as Minimal Preparation for Professional Practice, 2000). In addition to general nursing courses, statistics and research courses, BSNs’ receive additional instruction in health care promotion of patients, families

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