Associate versus Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing (Essay Sample)

Associate versus Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Associate versus Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing Education plays an important role in improving the competence of nurses as well as other health care providers. Therefore, it is not coincidental that nurses holding a baccalaureate are favorably viewed by the American Association of College Nurses, and other nursing organizations, than associate degree holders. The differences between the two levels of studies are stark and obvious with a baccalaureate, an equivalent of a bachelor of science in nursing, taking 4-5 years in an accredited university while an associate degree takes 3 years and may be offered in community and hospital colleges. BSN nurses, courtesy of in-depth and longer training, are inevitably well versed in the critical areas of case management, leadership and critical thinking. Consequently, they are better equipped to handle diverse and complex inpatient and outpatient situations that their colleagues with an associate degree. This paper will dissect the competencies of nurses prepared at the associate degree level versus their baccalaureate counterparts and demonstrate that the former are inherently better positioned to handle the complex and dynamic demands of the nursing profession. To appreciate the differences in competencies between the two levels of nursing training, it is instructive to step back and examine the salient contrasts in scope and content. An associate degree, a three year course, focuses on primary nursing care. The scope and depth is reduced to fit the three year duration. In contrast, a baccalaureate degree goes deeper into the areas of nursing research, nursing management, and public health, all the while using physical and social sciences approaches (Benner, Sutphen, Leonard, & Day, 2009). Therefore, a baccalaureate nurse develops a deeper understanding of how the political, social, and economic orientation of a patient can affect treatment. Ultimately, they end up developing a holistic understanding on their roles than associate level nurses do. Baccalaureate nurses are better equipped to respond to the evolving demands of patients in particular and the health care system in general. As mentioned before, this level of nurse training places a lot of importance on nursing research. Therefore, a nurse emerges from training with better skills to keep up with emerging trends and respond appropriately. In contrast, associate degree nurses lack the skills to keep abreast with emerging needs of the sector. This fact is backed by The Future of Nursing report commissioned by the Institute of Medicine that recommended pursuit and achievement of higher education levels to cope with the complex and dynamic needs of the healthcare sector (Blegen, Goode, Park, Vaughn & Spetz, 2013). Indeed, a baccalaureate nurse would be better placed to handle emerging diseases such as Zika virus than another nurse with shallow training on research and primary healthcare. A baccalaureate nurse receives more rigorous training in management and critical thinking than an associate nurse does. This fact translates to variance in competences to manage nursing resources and think fast and accurately under pressure. In a complex health institution where the number of clients outnumbers the requisite ration of nurses, a baccalaureate is better prepared to manage the situation and respond to distress with immediacy, efficiency, and accuracy. This explains why many health institutions, professional bodies, and scholars are calling for increase in baccalaureate nurses. A baccalaureate, by virtue of deeper and wider scope and content of training, is more equipped to provide critical care. A growing body of evidence shows that an increase in baccalaureate nurses in a hospital reduces mortality rate (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, n.d.). Moreover, an increase in baccalaureate holders results to a higher survival rate for complex illnesses such as heart diseases and chance. Because of their critical thinking and problem solving skills, BSN nurses achieve high rescue rates. Markedly, there is a high correlation between a nurse’s level of education and the quality of services offered. Practical Situation To illustrate the difference in competence a baccalaureate and associate degree nurse in a practical situation, consider a scenario where the two are out to monitor and advice new mothers on maternal care. The new mother happens to have developed complications because of resuming wor...