Adn vs Bsn Educational Benefits
Running Head: ADN VS. BSN: EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS
ADN vs. BSN: Educational Benefits
Kathy Bechtold
Grand Canyon University
Lorraine Hover, MSN, BA, RN
May 25, 2012
ADN vs. BSN: Differences in Competencies There are two different routes to becoming a Registered Nurse (RN). You have the Associates Degree Nursing (ADN) program which is considered the fast track program taking approximately two years to complete, and you have the Baccalaureate Nursing (BSN) program which requires approximately four years of schooling. What are the differences? Here are a few of the differences that will be discussed; schooling, mortality, safety, and positions that each degree can obtain. The ADN program was originally developed by Mildred Montag in 1951 due to the nursing shortage following World War II (Creasia & Friberg, 2011, p.15).The start of the ADN program was a quick fix to the shortage of nursing and was only supposed to be temporary. The difference in length between the ADN and BSN programs is the additional coursework needed to obtain your BSN. In the BSN program you have more emphasis on “treatment of the physical and social sciences, nursing research, public and community health, nursing management, and humanities” (“The Impact of”, 2012). In the BSN program you will also learn leadership, and have more managerial course work. With obtaining your BSN you are more competent in the effects that cause a patients illness and more in tune to treating those illnesses. The research shows that mortality rates decrease by 4%-5% for every 10% of nurses that hold the bachelors level in nursing (Fact Sheet,2012). This doesn’t seem like a huge amount but when you are talking about someone’s life it becomes a considerably large number. Nurses holding a bachelor’s degree in nursing are more likely to act faster than those at the associate’s level due to their increase in critical thinking skills. A bachelor degree nurse has received more education on the disease
ADN vs. BSN: Educational Benefits
Kathy Bechtold
Grand Canyon University
Lorraine Hover, MSN, BA, RN
May 25, 2012
ADN vs. BSN: Differences in Competencies There are two different routes to becoming a Registered Nurse (RN). You have the Associates Degree Nursing (ADN) program which is considered the fast track program taking approximately two years to complete, and you have the Baccalaureate Nursing (BSN) program which requires approximately four years of schooling. What are the differences? Here are a few of the differences that will be discussed; schooling, mortality, safety, and positions that each degree can obtain. The ADN program was originally developed by Mildred Montag in 1951 due to the nursing shortage following World War II (Creasia & Friberg, 2011, p.15).The start of the ADN program was a quick fix to the shortage of nursing and was only supposed to be temporary. The difference in length between the ADN and BSN programs is the additional coursework needed to obtain your BSN. In the BSN program you have more emphasis on “treatment of the physical and social sciences, nursing research, public and community health, nursing management, and humanities” (“The Impact of”, 2012). In the BSN program you will also learn leadership, and have more managerial course work. With obtaining your BSN you are more competent in the effects that cause a patients illness and more in tune to treating those illnesses. The research shows that mortality rates decrease by 4%-5% for every 10% of nurses that hold the bachelors level in nursing (Fact Sheet,2012). This doesn’t seem like a huge amount but when you are talking about someone’s life it becomes a considerably large number. Nurses holding a bachelor’s degree in nursing are more likely to act faster than those at the associate’s level due to their increase in critical thinking skills. A bachelor degree nurse has received more education on the disease
References: American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2012). Fact Sheet: Creating a More Highly Qualified Nursing Workforce http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/fact-sheets/nursing-workforce American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2012) Minimal Preparation for Professional Practice. Retrieved May 24, 2012 from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/publications/position/bacc-degree-prep American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2012). The Impact of Education on Nursing Practice