A Career In Nursing Essay

Throughout the history of nursing, training of those entering the field has varied from rudimentary to extensive. In the 19th century, training for nurses was minimal and there was no set curriculum (Nursing Timeline of Historical Events, 2014). With the nursing focus shifted from caring for the sick and dying, to caring for ill people and providing preventative care for well people, the training for nurses has also changed. This discussion will focus on the differences in competencies of nurses who obtain an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), or a Baccalaureate degree or Bachelors of Science Nursing (BSN). There will also be discussion of a scenario in which a BSN prepared nurse’s clinical decision-making may differ from an ADN prepared nurse.
Dr. Montag envisioned a new subset of nurses, a “technical nurse,” with a two-year degree, rather than a “professional nurse” who would assist the baccalaureate prepared nurse in providing care for patients (Matthias, 2010). The introduction of various paths toward a nursing career has since introduced confusion regarding the minimum entry-level requirements for credentials as a professional nurse (Cresia, 2011).

In 1965, the American Nurses Association published a paper recommending that the minimum degree for entry-level Registered Nurses be a baccalaureate degree (Taylor, 2008). Dr. Montag’s vision of all professional nurses obtaining a baccalaureate degree has not yet come to fruition, as, according the Heath Resources and Services Administration, only fifty-five percent of working Registered Nurses hold at least a baccalaureate degree (Fact Sheet: Creating a More Highly Qualified Nursing Workforce,