Associate and Baccalaureate Competencies

After World War II there was a shortage of nurses in the work force. Dr. Mildred Montag wrote her dissertation on the need to fill much needed positions and created a curriculum to train nurses at the two year level instead of the standard which was four year hospital apprenticeship training at the university level (GCU website, nd). The creation of the two year level trained nurse served its purpose in times of shortages. Hospitals and other facilities have increasingly become interested in the baccalaureate trained nurse due to being better able to handle patient circumstances requiring higher level of thinking (AACN, 2014).
Competency Differences
There are many differences between the two year technical nurse and the baccalaureate-degree level nurse which begins with education. The two year associate and the baccalaureate nurse are trained with the same basic education core requirements such as history, anatomy, etc., and fundamental bedside nursing skills. Although the baccalaureate degree nurse has more in depth education at the university level in the physiological, psychosocial, and other holistic teachings. Both the two year and four year trained nurse are able to take the same RN NCLEX. The two year trained nurse is by design of Dr. Montag less expensive at the community level college and can produce trained nurses faster. It also has an added benefit that the two year nurse has an opportunity to advance from lower income level to a career that offers sustainable income (RWJF, 2013).
ADN Competencies
According to the National League for Nursing (online, nd), the core competencies for the associate degree nurse consist of: 1. Supporting patients and their families to promote self advocacy, growth and development. 2. To be able to make judgements based on evidence of science, quality and safe