Competency Of Professional Nurse Vs ADN Nurses

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Competency of ADN vs BSN Nurses Ronda Schell Grand Canyon University Professional Dynamics Kristen Bracken January 19, 2014 Competency of ADN vs BSN Nurses The debate over Baccalaureate degree RN vs Associate degree RN has been long standing. Prior to WWII nurses were required to obtain their education as hospitalized apprentice or a 4 year university degree. Following WWII, due to the shortage of nurses, Mildred Montag developed a curriculum for the 2 year associates degree nurse. Her curriculum envisioned the new nurse “the technical nurse.”(Nursing Timeline). Through research and testing it has been proven that achieving a Baccalaureate degree in nursing is beneficial in the areas of critical thinking, leadership skills and…show more content…
Analytical skills, inquisitiveness, maturity of judgment, open- mindedness, systematicity and truth seeking also were higher than that of an ADN nurse.(Shin, Young, Shin, & Kim, 2006). A study that examined acute care hospitals showed that nurses with baccalaureate degrees had lower mortality rates and higher patient satisfactory compared to ADN nurses. Higher satisfaction for patients and nurses increases longevity and lower turnover for facilities enhancing better overall care for the individual and community as a whole. More hospitals want to achieve the Magnet Recognition Status. This program recognizes health care organizations for quality patient care, nursing excellence, and innovations in professional nursing practice. Consumers rely on Magnet designation as the ultimate credential for high quality nursing.(ancc.org) Due to today’s advancements in technology and the complexity of diseases the demand for higher quality nurses is overwhelming. Critical thinking is the core of education and must be evaluated as an outcome when evaluating nursing education. Since the implementation of the 2 year associates degree there has become a shortage of nurse educators. Nursing schools turn away an unimaginable amount of qualified nursing students due to the lack of qualified faculty to teach them. We are in a nursing shortage and by not having the qualified educators to teach; this is only compounding the problem. There needs to be focus on achieving a baccalaureate degree and further, just to maintain the ability to educate and continue to produce nurses. This too will also influence lifelong learning which the nursing profession prides itself on.(Lane & Kohlenberg,
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