Competencies of Nurses Prepared at the Associate Degree Level and Baccalaureate Degree Level - Essay Example

There is no need to focus on the degree you have, but on a kind of a professional, you are going to become. The same happens to nurses. Very often they are challenged by making the right choice: whether to be ADN or BSN nurse? In accordance with modern studies and researches, it is clearly seen that opportunities for studying are equal, working conditions and salaries are equal. So, the point is about personal development and personal aspirations. There is a different length of education for nurses (4 years for BSN and 2-3 years for AND programs).

In accordance with the research conducted by Daly et al (2005), it is claimed that a higher degree does not always indicate a more experienced professional. In accordance with the report issued in October 2010 by the Institute of Medicine, there is a growing number of baccalaureate-prepared nurses (80%) and the number of nurses with doctorates is increasing as well (AACN Fact Sheet). Higher education of nurses is positioned as a necessary condition for the advancement of a higher quality of patients treatment.

Moreover, it is claimed in this report that the public is waiting for the quality growth of nurses' services (AACN Fact Sheet). In such a way, the quality of services provided in the hospitals is growing as a result of nurse's educational advancement. National health is at risk, while nurses are lacking a proper level of education. In accordance with the description concerning the BSN degree, it is mentioned that a degreed nurse provides better care, and patients in these hospitals have more positive outcomes.

In spite of different options of making a choice of a degree for nurses, it is claimed that the nurses remain the least educated persons in the field of medicine. It should be noted that nurses entering the nursing practice are able to advance their creative potential and increase the scope of their skills. On the example of taking care of a patient with cancer, who worked on the chemo floor, two nurses with ADN or BSN reflected different experiences of care. The former nurse was not really involved in the treatment process and followed only doctors' instructions.