Nursing has changed over time. One huge change is that nurses are now trained better in theory, clinical practice, communication, collaboration, leadership and research. Nursing students who opt for a 2-year associate’s degree are trained in these areas, but not with the same intensity and space to practice as those who opt for a 4-year bachelor’s degree. The bachelor’s degree (BSN) provides nurses with a better grasp on these aspects of nursing, and is, therefore, worth pursuing.
Today, nurses are considered highly trained, well-respected healthcare professionals. That is because nursing care has evolved to be a vital aspect of healthcare. Nurses at all education levels are trained more formally and more intensely than they were when the nursing profession first began over 100 years ago. Nurses have more options and pathways to becoming a nurse, obtaining ongoing education, furthering their education, and advancing in their career than ever before.
Nurses can become registered nurses (RNs) with an Associate’s degree in nursing (ADN) or with a Bachelor’s degree in nursing science (BSN). Both allow the nurse to practice as an RN, but there are differences in the scope. BSN nurses are better prepared nurses and are qualified to perform more complex procedures. They can also manage other nursing staff. Nightingale College (2017) lists several differences between ADN nurses and BSN nurses including the fact that studies have shown that nursing care is better quality and patients are safer under the care of BSN nurses “BSN nurses are simply better trained, prepared and ready to tackle more care jobs thanks to their educational experience. The elaborate curriculum and clinical hours required by academic criteria make BSN nurses highly trained and qualified to meet the nation’s patients’ nursing needs and deliver safe, effective patient care” (Nightingale College, 2017). Nightingale College (2017) also points out that BSN nurses’ salaries are higher, and they have different competencies than ADN nurses. BSN nurses’ education focuses on “research, disease prevention, community health, advocacy, and informatics to better examine data, implement best practices and find better solutions to patient outcomes” (Nightingale College, 2017). BSN nurses have a better understanding of “cultural, economic, and social issues that affect patients and influence healthcare delivery systems” too (Nightingale College, 2017). BSN nurses have had more education and are, therefore, considered more capable of more responsibility than ADN nurses.
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