...Differences in Competencies, ADN v. BSN Jett Jordan-Woodbury Grand Canyon University RN-BSN NRS 430v: Professional Dynamics Linda Permoda May 11, 2012 Difference in Competencies Between an Associate Degree and a Bachelor Degree Nurse While an Associate Degree Nurse, also known as an ADN, and Bachelor of Science in nursing nurse, also known as a BSN, are given the same preliminary education relating to patient treatment, there are notable differences in their professional and educational preparation, as well as their competencies. These two degrees have different levels of patient interaction and contact, as well as job expectations. ADN and BSN programs focus on different aspects and angles of education and job focus that all ultimately lead to taking optimal care of the patient. This paper compares the differences between those two areas and how important it is for these two degrees to work together as a team to provide the best possible outcome for all patients and nurses involved. This paper will touch on the differences between the educational levels and focuses, the clinical competencies, and the job expectations of the ADN and the BSN. Educational Competencies and Job Expectations The educational levels of the ADN and the BSN differ drastically, they can last anywhere from two to four years in length and focus on many different aspects of the nursing profession, but they all are geared toward the same outcome, optimal care of the patient. In the two year...
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...Educational Preparation The difference between an Associate's degree education (ADN) and a Bachelor's degree education (BSN) has been a topic of discussion between nurses for years. Completion of either an ADN program or a BSN program will result in the same outcome, a Registered Nurse Licensure (RN). There are some nurses that would argue that there is no need to obtain a BSN degree unless the nurse is planning to work in a management position. Then, there are some nurses that would argue that in the very near future a BSN degree will be required in order to work in an acute care environment. Choosing one over the other depends on financial factors, the length of time to be spent in an educational program, and long-term career goals (Morrow, 2008). All of the arguments may have their validities, but in this paper this writer will describe the differences in competencies between nurses with an ADN education and a BSN education. There are two primary goals of any nursing program whether it is an ADN program or a BSN program. The first goal is to endow their nursing students with the appropriate tools to provide safe and competent care to patients. The second is to prepare their students to complete and pass the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN). The NCLEX provides computer adaptive testing that measures minimal competence for safe professional nursing practice. Exam content includes health promotion, pharmacotherapeutics...
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...Running ahead: Differences in Competencies between Nurses Prepared at the Associate Degree Level Versus the Baccalaureate Degree Level 1 Associates Degree Nursing Education vs. Baccalaureate Degree Nursing Education: Differences in Clinical Practice Suja Kuruvilla Grand Canyon University: NRS-430V Professor Lorraine Hoover September 2, 2012 Health care is a field that is changing dramatically. Many practicing nurses have various degrees in nursing like Associate Degree, Diploma, Baccalaureate and Master’s degree. Due to the varying levels of education and training, differences exist between the nurses prepared with an Associate degree (ADN) when compared to those nurses who have trained in a Baccalaureate degree (BSN). Though nurses getting these degrees have their differences in preparation, nurses earning these degrees have adequate theoretical and clinical learning experiences. The license qualifying examination for many states- National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) - does not differentiate between ADN and BSN degree prepared nurses and allows nurses with both degrees to take the licensing examination after completion of the degree regardless of the educational background of the applicant. The differences in competencies between nurses prepared with an ADN compared to those prepared with a BSN include the quality of training and duration...
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...BSN is better than ADN really? Grand Canyon University Grand Canyon University NRS 430V November 3, 2013 Education Preparation Paper With the focus on economical, Political, and technological advances, the healthcare is moving at a rapid pace in today’s world. To meet the consumers educational healthcare needs they are looking for the safest and most effective care they can receive. There are differences in collegiate competencies between nurses prepared at the associate degree (ADN) level versus those with a bachelorette degree (BSN). Scope of practice and state regulations are the same for either nurse. However, how the nurse cares for or approaches decision-making tends differ between the two entities. Allowing nurses to be academically prepared in the workplace and to offer the community professional knowledge needed to care for their families and loved ones with preventive care and improve patient outcomes (Sexton, Hunt, Cox, Teasley, & Carrol, 2008, p. 105) Differences in Competencies Associate Degree programs are offered at community colleges around the country. Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) provides and efficient, economical pathway to becoming a registered nurse (Raines & Taglaireni, 2008). The number of ADN programs around the country has steadily increased since being introduced in 1958 with about 1000 programs across the country (Raines & Taglaireni, 2008). The ADN program is shorter and more concise which focuses on the clinical skills and...
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...Health care is a field that is changing dramatically. Many practicing nurses have various degrees in nursing like Associate Degree, Diploma, Baccalaureate and Master’s degree. Due to the varying levels of education and training, differences exist between the nurses prepared with an Associate degree (ADN) when compared to those nurses who have trained in a Baccalaureate degree (BSN). Though nurses getting these degrees have their differences in preparation, nurses earning these degrees have adequate theoretical and clinical learning experiences. The license qualifying examination for many states- National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) - does not differentiate between ADN and BSN degree prepared nurses and allows nurses with both degrees to take the licensing examination after completion of the degree regardless of the educational background of the applicant. The differences in competencies between nurses prepared with an ADN compared to those prepared with a BSN include the quality of training and duration of the course. From research shown in many well published studies and from my own practice, I feel that such differences in training create various approaches to patient management in similar clinical situations and hence do have a variable effect on patient outcomes. Nurses with an ADN or a BSN have distinctive differences in their preparation to get their degree. Nurses with an ADN obtain their degree through attending community colleges, nursing schools, or other 4...
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...Nursing Competencies: ADN versus BSN Suzi Roberts Grand Canyon University Professional Dynamics NRS-430V Brittney Grabill May 2, 2015 Nursing Competencies: ADN versus BSN According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), nursing is “the largest health care profession, with 3.1 million registered nationwide.” The AACN states on their website, in 1980, 22 percent held the bachelor’s degree and 18 percent held an associate’s degree (American Associate of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2015). By the 2008, the number holding bachelor’s degree increased to 36.8 percent and the number for an associate’s degree increased to 36.1 (AACN, 2015). In the paper, I will discuss what it takes to obtain both degrees, the advantages, disadvantages and the different competencies of the Associates Degree in Nurse (ADN) and the Baccalaureate Degree Nurse (BSN). In the last few years, the hospital I have worked for has really encouraged those with an ADN degree to obtain their BSN. Representatives from different colleges have made visits to the hospital to get nurses to enroll in their ADN to BSN online programs. Our hospital, like many other across the nation, suffer from a nursing shortage. There are 2 universities within an hour in driving distance with BSN programs. Where I live, we are very fortunate to have an ADN program at our local community college, which is right across the street from the only hospital in town. When thinking about becoming a nurse, the...
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...Comparing Competencies of the Associate Versus Baccalaureate Degree Prepared Nurse The American Association of Nursing (AACN) defines nursing as “the protection, promotion, and organization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations”. (American Nurses Association;) 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...
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...Differences in Competencies between Associate Degree Nurses and Baccalaureate Degree Nurses “BSN in 10” bills either pending or under legislation in some states, will require nurses to obtain a bachelor’s degree in 10 years. Even more hospitals and healthcare facilities seeking Magnet status seem to be encouraging Associate Degree nurses to return to school or obtain a BSN before applying for employment. Nursing is a profession that involves skills and knowledge to provide optimum level of care. ADN versus BSN has been an issue of controversy for years. The primary focus of this paper will be discussing the differences in competencies of nurses educated in an ADN level to those educated in a BSN level. These differences include varying curriculum requirements, education content and patient outcomes. The first difference in ADN and BSN is the amount of education. The associate degree in nursing includes two years in the nursing program and can be obtained at a community or junior college. However, there are prerequisite courses required for entry into the nursing program, so ADN programs can be at least 3 years in length. Today, earning an ADN takes almost as long as earning a BSN (Orsolini-Hain & Waters, 2009). In contrast, baccalaureate degree in nursing includes four academic years of college at a four year university. Both degrees take the same NCLEX board exam for licensing and both degrees enter into the same position as a registered nurse, with similar wages and benefits...
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...Nursing Degree Competencies: Bachelor's versus Associate' Grand Canyon University Abstract Nursing is a constantly changing profession and far more complex than it has been in the past. The science of nursing is forever changing and requiring a need for more highly educated professional nurses. Those in nursing education and the nursing profession face many challenges in regards to changes in medicine, population, disease, lifestyles and technology. There are different levels of nursing education, and each level has their own standards to uphold. Students approach the learning institution with the assumption they will be taught the knowledge and skills to become competent nurses. Employers of nursing graduates assume the nursing degree and the state licensure certify competent performance. The most common degrees in nursing are associate’s degree in nursing (ADN) or baccalaureate degrees in nursing (BSN). Nursing Degree Competencies: Bachelor's versus Associate's The need for different education and practice is derived from the increasing difficulty of health care delivery and scope of practice for registered nurses. Many schools offer different nursing programs to attend, and some choose to attend a two year program called an associate’s degree in nursing or ADN. You will find that most ADN programs are in a concentrated two year community college setting. Associate degree nursing continues to make a positive impact on the registered nurse population...
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...How do competencies vary between ADN and BSN? March 25, 2015 How do competencies vary between ADN and BSN? I am very proud of my accomplishment of obtaining my license as a Registered Nurse as this was my lifelong dream. I chose a very common route to achieve this, through a community college. This program offered a low cost and rather short timeframe to reach my goal of becoming a RN. The ADN program was rumored to be one of the best in Wisconsin so I chose it, with plans of pursuing my BSN right after I graduated. Unfortunately, like most get their ADN, this just doesn’t happen. A person gets a nursing job and deals with work, life and family stressors, who needs to go back to school for a BSN? A BSN does not generally pay better, the job description is the same for both degrees, why would one possible waste their time? During my first class at the community college, the students were told that the ADN graduates generally performed higher on their NCLEX exams than did the BSN graduates. Another point taught was that this ADN degree was more desirable to perspective employers because ADN’s had greater clinical skills and got hired faster. This information seemed to be true, I was hired at a desirable facility and so began my career as an ADN. My career was going great, I was living my dream, having everything I always wanted. Then policies changed, nurses could no longer hold management positions unless they returned to school to earn their BSN. Some...
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...Differences in Nursing Competencies: ADN vs. BSN Sheri Lancaster August 23, 2014 Differences in Nursing Competencies: ADN vs. BSN There has been much discussion recently about the need to require a minimum of a baccalaureate degree for entry-level nurses. Many hospitals have moved to this ideology and have already began to give a hiring preference to those nurses who hold a baccalaureate degree and many have hired Associate degreed nurses with the requirement that they will obtain their baccalaureate degree within so many years of employment date. This paper will discuss the differences between a nurse holding an associates degree and a baccalaureate degree, as well as, present a patient care situation describing how patient care decisions difference based upon the nurse’s educational level. History of ADN and BSN Programs It was during the post World War II years that Mildred Montage developed an associate degree level of nursing education in response to the shortage of nursing (Creasia & Friberg, 2011). She developed the associate degree-nursing program with the intent that these nurses would work under the supervision of baccalaureate level nurses who were at the time considered professional nurses. The Associate program is a two-year program that focuses on the fundamentals of nursing and teaching bedside clinical skills. The baccalaureate degree program has been in existence since 1909 and was developed as a five-year program (Creasia & Friberg, 2011). It...
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...Title: The differences between nurses prepared at the ADN versus the BSN level Shelley Mae Candelaria, ADN, RN Grand Canyon University: NUR430 June 11, 2015 Abstract In nursing, one can obtain one or more of three degrees in the nursing field. Two of the more sought after degrees are Associates Degree of Nursing and Baccalaureate Degree of Nursing. These two degrees have many similarities but in the same respect are exceedingly different. Research suggests a vast difference in the competencies regarding nurses with an ADN versus BSN. Title: The differences between nurses prepared at the ADN versus the BSN level Associates Degree of Nursing The ADN came in to play after the World War II when professional nurses, nurses that held a BSN, were in a large shortage. In the year 1948, Dr. Montag from Adelphi School of Nursing advocated to decrease the amount of education a potential nurse had to obtain, from 4-5 year program to a short 2 year program, in hopes these vocational nurses would assist in helping the shortage and she later assisted in the founding of the associates degree program. According to the Adelphi College of Nursing and Public Health the, “Associate degree education for nursing began as part of an experimental project at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York in the 1950s. In her doctoral dissertation, Dr. Montag proposed educating a technical nurse for two years to assist the professional nurse, whom she envisioned as having a baccalaureate degree”...
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...The Differences Between an Associate Degree Nurse and a Baccalaureate Degree Nurse Grand Canyon University Although the Associate degree in Nursing and the Bachelors degree in nursing ultimately lead to a nursing profession in the health care industry, there are many differences between them. The fast growing complexity of health care and broadening clinical knowledge have forced nurses to have the educational preparation to meet its complex demand. Unlike the Associate degree program (ADN), the Baccalaureate program (BSN), prepares professional nurses whose practice is based upon science in order to restore and maintain health. Both the ADN and the BSN degrees lead to a profession as a registered nurse upon successfully passing the NCLEX board of licensure exam. However there are major differences that set both degrees apart in the Health care industry There are major differences between the ADN and BSN degrees. One of the differences is the length of time required to complete both programs. The Associate degree requires two years of course work to complete whereas the Bachelors degree normally requires four years of course work. In some instances it but could be less especially in cases where the prospective student already has a bachelors degree in another field or an associate degree in nursing from a community college. In comparing the competencies of both the ADN and BSN degrees both programs produce competent graduates...
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...The Difference Between Associate Degree and Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing Increasing clinical understanding and the rising complexities in the health care technologies today requires that professional nurses be educated and competent to the baccalaureate level. Nurses with their RN can be educated to the level of associates degree or to baccalaureate degree. According to the Grand Canyon University Baccalaureate Curriculum Model, the associates degree level nurse differs from the baccalaureate level nurse in three main competencies; client, nurse, and nursing education. One of the different competencies between associate degree (ADN) and Baccalaureate degree (BSN) is type of client or patients they are prepared to treat and the care setting which they are allowed to work in. “ADN nurses are educated to provide nursing care to persons with similar health alterations in structured setting, whereas BSN-prepared nurses are educated to engage in independent thinking and to provide nursing care to persons with complex and differing health alterations within a variety of settings, including the community” (Hood, 2010, pg. 18). Health care is not only centered as inpatient hospitals but throughout the community as preventive care as well, leaving ADN nurses in a disadvantage. Nurses now a day have to be able to practice across multiple settings. Contrasting the graduates of an ADN program with the graduate of a BSN program; the BSN nurse is prepared to practice in all health...
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...The Competencies of ADN Nurses vs. the Competencies BSN Nurses Grand Canyon University: NRS-430V May 5, 2012 Abstract Both ADN and BSN nurse needs to take licensing examinations to start working as a registered nurse in the United States. Associate degrees require two years of studying in a community college. However a bachelor’s degree requires four years of academic studying in a college. The first topic of the paper is whether not the risk taking propensities of the nurses changed between ADN and BSN nurses. A second topic of this paper is whether there is a different sort of management role between ADN nurses and BSN nurses. Lastly the quality of work between the Associate Degree Nurses (ADN) and Baccalaureate Degree Nurses (BSN) will be examined to see if the competency of the ADN and BSN differs. The Competencies of ADN Nurses vs. the Competencies BSN Nurses History of Nursing According to Joan L Creasia and Elizabeth Friberg, the first baccalaureate degree of nursing in the U.S.A was started in the University of Minnesota in 1909. Until the 1950’s the program usually consisted of two years of general education and then three years of nursing education. These nurses who graduated in 5 years could either begin as a general nurse who works in the hospital and is a part of patient care or they can join the management side of patient care and become managers of hospitals. For the BSN they would have to study liberal arts, patient quality...
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