A Comparison of Nursing Practice between Associate Degree level Nurses and Baccalaureate Degree Level Nurses
Leila R. Chanid
Grand Canyon University: Professional Dynamics NRS 430v
January 8, 2012

Abstract This paper will compare the Nursing profession across the healthcare industry of Associates Degree Level Nurses and Baccalaureate-Degree level nurses. It discusses the preparedness of beginning practice at both levels, exploring competencies developed by both trained professionals and the differences in the learning experience each of them contain. It also compares the new graduate in the workforce at both levels of education. Research from journals, nursing books from accredited colleges and magazines were used to discuss their differences. Nursing has slowly over the years become a respected profession due to leaders in history whom changed the way healthcare outcomes were established in nursing. Nursing professionals can thank leaders such as Florence Nightingale for understanding the complexity of care involved in a community and the importance of training for nurses. St. Thomas Hospital in London, England founded by Florence Nightingale in the 1860’s was the beginning of the transformation of the way nurses practice and levels of training a nurse can accomplish. The Civil War and Great Depression era’s created a definite need for good trained nurses and patient outcomes became a way of evaluating the training of nurses. As, patient outcomes improved with the training as a whole in the nursing profession and the health industry grew more nursing colleges, and training programs were created to keep up with the high demand of the need for nursing professionals. The Associate level Degree in Nursing was developed after a need in response during and after World War II. (Creasia, J.) However, nursing today has drastically changed