Contemporary Nursing Practice
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.
Changes in Nursing Practice over Time
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.
Scope In Practice Differences between ASN and BSN
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.
Differences in Decision-making between ADN and BSN
Because BSN nurses have had more education, more intense education, and have spent more time becoming educated, they are better prepared to make the decision that nurses make on a daily basis. ADN nurses can make decisions, but usually they are not given supervisory jobs where they make decisions that affect not only patient care, but also other nurses. Those types of management roles are usually awarded to nurses who have obtained their Bachelor’s degree.
BSN RNs and Evidence-based Care
To be able to get an associate’s degree in nursing, usually a 2-year degree, a student is required to take lots of theory courses, but also to do a lot of clinical practices. Getting a bachelor’s degree in nursing requires the same types of classes, but a bachelor’s degree usually takes 3 to 4 years, so there is more time for more theory classes that can be applied to clinical practice. That means that BSN nurses learn to do research, become more comfortable doing research, and use evidence found in their research in their practices more than nurses with associates degrees. Anbari (2015) of Global Qualitative Nursing Research says, “Research coursework also increases the nurses’ desire to investigate and use evidence-based practice in their own nursing work” (Anbari, 2015, p. 7). Having had the opportunity to practice using evidence to solve problems makes nurses more likely to have an evidence-based practice.
Nursing Team Communication/Collaboration Supporting Better Patient Care
Because BSN nurses have the experience of using evidence-based practice, applying nursing theory to clinical practice, and more intensity in their educational curriculum, they are usually regarded as better able to manage and lead other nurses. This is because they usually take leadership classes as part of the BSN curriculum whereas ADN nurses do not have the space in their tightly-controlled curriculum to take anything but the essential theory and clinical practice classes that are the bare minimum required to pass a nursing licensing exam. Because it is known that better communication among team members leads to better health outcomes for patients, BSN nurses are presumed to have better communication and collaboration skills because of their encounters with classes in this field while in college. Anbari (2015) points out that nurses who have gone on to get their BSNs after completing their ADNs find that their entire perspective changes. Anbari (2015) says, “After completion of the program, RN to BSN graduates notice improvements in their nursing practice. The BSN degree enhances the graduates’ assessment skills, improves their patient outcomes, and increases critical thinking skills. In addition, graduates experience improved communication abilities. Because of these benefits, RN to BSN graduates become better patient advocates” (Anbari, 2015, p. 8). Nurses all want to be the best patient advocates they can be, and having better communication and collaboration skills can help them to do this.
Conclusion
The goal for U.S. healthcare is to have 80% of nurses with their BSNs. Whether this goal will be realized is unclear, but nurses with ADNs know that their BSN co-workers are better trained, have better patient skills, make more money and have more advancement opportunities. Nurses with ADNs should go on to get their BSNs for their own sake and for the sake of their patients.
References
Anbari, A. (2015). The RN to BSN Transition: A Qualitative Systematic Review. Global Qualitative Nursing Research, 2, 1-11. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p...
Nightingale College. (2017, January 31). ADN vs BSN Debate: These are the real differences Between ADN AND BSN prepared nurses. Retrieved from Nightingale College: https://nightingale.edu/blog/a...
