Nursing is a beautiful profession, which entitles many jobs in one. We not only focus on healing our patients, but also educate them. We also develop an intrapersonal relationship with out patient in a really short time. We are compassionate and dedicated to our patients. We as nurses should live by this motto, always treat others they way you like to be treated. Nurses with an associate or baccalaureate degree are trained to be nurses, but many argue that nurses with a baccalaureate degree are more equip nurses. Therefore the following paragraphs will discuss the difference in competencies between nurses prepared at the associate degree level versus the baccalaureate degree level. Also, will …show more content…
Associates Degree in Nursing vs. Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing
According to Friberg & Creasia (2016), the severity of the nursing shortage in the postwar years encouraged faculty to develop new entry-level nursing programs. In 1951 nurse educator Mildred Montag proposed an innovative program to prepare nurse technicians in 2-year associate degree community colleges. They demonstrated an adequate level of clinical nursing competency and were employed as graduate nurses (Friberg & Creasia, 2016). According to Ginger and Davidhizar (1990), “The associate degree nurse appeared to be primarily interested in meeting the physical needs of the patient, whereas the data indicated that baccalaureate graduates were primarily concerned with meeting the psychosociological needs of the patient. The data also indicated that the baccalaureate degree student was more care-oriented”. I have been a witness of how nurses with an associated degree handle patient care versus a nurse with a baccalaureate. Furthermore, Rosseter (2016), states that research has shown that lower mortality rates, …show more content…
The basic nursing care is being loving, companionate, dedicated, holistic, patient advocate and educating your patient to their educational level. On the other hand, a nurse that has her baccalaureate degree has all those qualities and more. For example, I have worked in the postpartum unit for eight years as a certified nursing assistant and I have encountered so many situations with nurses that only have their associate’s degree and nurses that have their baccalaureate degree.
In one situation the patient got pulmonary edema. The nurse and I had just checked her about an hour earlier. The patient called out saying she was having hard time breathing. By the time the nurse and I got there the patient was in and out of consciousness and she was having really hard time breathing. This nurse had many years of experience and also had her baccalaureate degree. She knew exactly what to do, not once did she hesitate or question her actions. She quickly asses her patient, gave orders to me, called her nurse colleagues and applied oxygen on the patient. By the time she called the doctor she had all the information necessary to give him a detailed SBAR report. Due to her quick assessment, confidence and well equip knowledge and skills the patient was stabilized quickly. According to Ginger and Davidhizar (1990), “studies were conducted which compared the competencies