Difference in Skills between ADN’s and BSN Nursing
Misty Garcia
Grand Canyon University

March 05, 2015

ADN vs BSN Competencies
Nursing has transformed throughout the years. Nursing now requires a higher education to provide specialized and excellent care to patients. BSN nurses have increased knowledge to provide patient care that will lead to decreased mortality rates while hospitalized and nurses are able to provide better education for discharge planning.(, 2014) Nurses provide teaching, leadership, medication and skills to have better patient outcomes. Olga Yakusheva a researcher from University of Michigan reported that 10% increase in the proportion of baccalaureate-prepared nurses in hospitals as shown a decrease in hospital deaths by 10.9%. (, 2014) In hospitals there are nurses working as LVN’s, ADN’s and BSN’s.
Associate degrees nurses who have multiple years of experience have acquired the knowledge, skills and competence to prepare a patient for a good outcome at discharge. A nurse with a Baccalaureate degree will lead the nursing staff by collaborating plans of care for patients. Being a patient has helped me comprehend what fears a patient may experience. Patients have learned to ask, “How long you have been a nurse, how many times have you done this, and how much training have you had?”
Nurses need to possess fundamental knowledge of patients’ health needs. Nurses should take part and lead professional initiatives. Improving the quality, safety and efficiency of care delivery are some of the initiatives nurses aim at. Nurses with Baccalaureate degrees are leaders of planning and prevention of how care should be delivered at home. Nurses with a BSN receive help from public and community health. With this help they are equipped to meet their challenges. Elements that include patient care situations, like their home environment, do they have a support system at home and most important is safety. Safety is a major factor in a patient’s living environment. These are a couple of questions that are asked before discharge. Example, a patient comes into the emergency room with rectal bleeding the patient is eventually admitted. After many test the patient receives his final diagnosis of Colon cancer. At this point the family and patient may have many questions. At this time being a BSN is when it is important. You are able to have the critical thinking skills that you may need to teach the patient and family. Teaching about the disease process, and discussing treatment is very important before a patients’ discharge date. A nurse with a BSN is able to educate patients on treatments and how these treatments can affect a person emotionally and physically. An important questions to ask a patient and their family is their beliefs, and primarily what’s best for the patient. Helping patients and families adjust to a new way lifestyle after a decision has been made is very challenging.
Registered nurses are the nurses that are creating and implementing care plans for patients in healthcare settings. These patients may be changing between care settings. RN’s assume on-site leadership roles. As the demand is growing for nurses, most nurses are returning to school and growing their knowledge in advanced practice. As the IOM future of Nursing report states, “A more educated nursing workforce would be better equipped to meet these demands.” “Newly licensed nurses with BSN degrees report feeling better prepared than their ADN counterparts in areas such as evidence-based practice, using quality improvement data analysis, and systematically applying tools and methods to improve performance.” ("Fact Sheet,") BSN students also receive two to three times more clinical training in outpatient areas than ADN students. With this training BSN nurses are better prepared to provide care to the community. Due to the increase in complex patients, a nurse with a baccalaureate degree is becoming the preferred nurse. These patients require more complex care. Associate degree students have great clinical skills that is focused on acute care settings. Much of healthcare going forward will be about patient education and with the education it will teach patients that there are community resources. Organizations enjoy: a safer practice environment, more stable workforce, lower turnover-related costs, lower rates of mortality and decrease acquired conditions when there staff consists of BSN nurses. Employing BSN prepared nurses would also lead to more leadership and management positions being filled.
Other differences between ADN’s and BSN may be: “Associate degree programs focus on the clinical skills and is more task-oriented.” “It lacks the theory and science behind nursing as a profession.” Baccalaureate program is knowledge, theory and research based. It emphasizes the entire field of nursing. (, 2013)

References (2013, September). Charting Nursing Future. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 21(21). Retrieved from www.aacn.nche.edu (2014, October, 2014). Issue of Medical Care. Issue of Medical Care. Retrieved from www.aacn.nche.edu
Creating a More Highly Qualified Nursing Workforce. (). Retrieved from www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/nursingworkforce.pdf