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Adn V Bsn

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The ADN-BSN Debate
Higher education in nursing yields better patient consequences based on greater knowledge in standards of care and sounder judgment calls.
As a nurse with an ADN there were already differences to be seen while going through the program; some students chose to complete the path towards an ADN while others chose to graduate with only the nursing certificate of completion. We all took the same course load with the exception of the ADN track having taken an extra math course to complete the degree. Coming from a small community, many of us found employment at the same hospitals or closely neighboring facilities, and it is difficult to judge which of us holds a degree and which of us hold a certificate. In the same regards, most ADN nurses are difficult to decipher from BSN nurses on the floor, except for the obvious accolade on the name badges.
When conversations arise over whether or not to pursue a higher degree, the common response is that a nurse only needs a BSN if she/he is looking to move into a managerial role. Many nurses have stated that attaining a BSN for a floor nurse, or specialty units such as NICU, ED, PACU, and Cath Lab, are useless as it does nothing to improve skill. However, according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Fact Sheet, hospitals with a higher percentage of RNs with baccalaureate or higher degrees had lower congestive heart failure mortality, decubitus ulcers, failure to rescue, and postoperative deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism and shorter length of stay. (AACN, 2013). Arguing with facts such as these leaves room open to debate why obtaining a higher level of education is imperative to any nurse working in direct patient care.
In the earlier stages of nursing, when Mildred Montag revolutionized the Associate Degree of Nursing program, the focus was on skill and some judgment to

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