The Difference in Competencies Between Nurses Prepared at the Associate Degree Level Versus the Baccalaureate Level in Nursing

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The difference in competencies between nurses prepared at the associate degree level versus the baccalaureate level in nursing.
The nursing training started in 1860, after the Crimean war. The nursing program was begun by Florence Nightingale; by caring for the sick and injured and dying soldiers during the war .The first nursing school was established in London. During the United States civil war, the American women provided skilled nursing care. (Creasia, J., & Friberg, E (2011). The health care industry is developing rapidly. In modern society, the sophisticated technical advancement and the increasing demands of patients’ calls for highly educated workforce in the nursing field .The professional baccalaureate level and higher degrees are notably well-suited to meet the requisition of today’s complex health care system.
“Competency is an individual’s actual performance in a particular situation, described by how well the individual integrates knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviors in delivering care according to expectations’ ”. (Trisha, M., Shawna, D., Mary Ann A., & Pamela, H.) Education has very important role to update knowledge in nursing field and does affect the competency of the nurse clinician to provide care for the patients. Research has shown that lower mortality rates, fever medication errors and positive outcomes are all linked to nurses prepared at the BSN level and graduate level. (AACN, 2012)
Nursing education is a continuous process, if she / he are working as a bed side nurse, or as an educator. To work as competent nurse knowledge in the nursing field is essential and has to update through ongoing education. BSN prepared nurse poses competency in providing direct care with different nursing diagnosis, practice with in structured or non- structured setting using independent nursing decisions.

Baccalaureate Degree Nurse
The BSN

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