Benefits of a Baccalaureate Education in Nursing

Benefits of a Baccalaureate Education in Nursing
Nurses that complete nursing school at a baccalaureate degree level will be more prepared and have higher competency levels than nurses graduating from an ADN program. Grand Canyon University follows the guidelines from the American Association of College of Nursing (AACN) for the curriculum regarding the nursing education, including the RN-BSN program. (Grand Canyon University College of Nursing Philosophy, 2011) The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) fact sheet (Creating a More Highly Qualified Nursing Workforce, October 2012) talks about how baccalaureate nurses have more positive outcomes than an associate degree nurse. This refers to not only lower mortality rates but other factors such as medication errors. This shows that a BSN thinks outside of the box and treats the patient as a whole The focus of a patient, while hospitalized, is that they just want to get better. They want to know who brings their medication and who makes their bed. They don’t get to see the educational background of each nurse that cares for them. To them a nurse is a nurse. What the focus of a baccalaureate nurse caring for them is to treat the patient as a whole, not just the person who gives medications.
Associate degree programs have been around since 1952. The ADN focus is concerned with the technical aspects of nursing. The focus is meeting the needs of the person through maintenance of equipment and direct nursing care. The tasks of the associate degree nurse is primarily content-driven,
Nurses with a baccalaureate degree are considered professionals. (American Nurses Association, 1965) BSN’s are well-rounded and self-directed. The care that a baccalaureate nurse delivers is process-driven, unlike the ADN being content-driven. The BSN treats the person