Differences in Competencies: The Associate-Degree Level versus the Baccalaureate-Degree Level in Nursing
Grand Canyon University: NRS-430V | Nursing History, Theories, and Conceptual Model
06/09/2013

Differences in Competencies: The Associate-Degree Level versus the Baccalaureate-Degree Level in Nursing

Current trends in healthcare are leading to more complex, advanced patient care and needs. Hospitals and patient services are now in need of highly skilled, trained, and educated professionals to deliver this care. The impact of these trends extend into the profession of nursing, where employers are taking a closer look at the outcomes of patient care delivered by ADN graduates vs. BSN prepared nurses. Although …show more content…

Core components of nursing practice are: professional behaviors, communication, assessment, clinical decision making, caring interventions, teaching and learning, collaboration, and managing care (NLN Council of Associate Degree Nursing Competencies Task Force 2000). Both ADN and BSN programs encompass these components into the curriculum, however BSN provides greater emphasis in leadership, communication, and social sciences. These in-depth courses produce graduates with enhanced professional development preparing them for a broader scope of practice (AACN, 2012). Thus ADN nurses are labeled as “technical” while BSN nurses are referred to as “professional.”
Numerous research studies have demonstrated that ADN and BSN nurses are not different in skill competency when they graduate, but within a year, BSN nurses show greater critical thinking skills, better problem solving, and the development of clinical judgment (Moore 2009). For example, consider a patient who is a non-compliant diabetic and has been admitted to the hospital for myocardial infarction. During the course of stay the patient underwent bilateral heart catheterization which resulted in the stenting of a coronary artery. Ready for discharge, the ADN nurse follows hospital protocol, provides the patient with all the required informational