Competency Differences in Nursing: Associates Degree verses Bachelor’s Degree
Shannon Garcia
Grand Canyon University
Professional Dynamics
NRS-430V
Lisa Arends
October 25, 2014

The path one takes to achieve their degree in the field of nursing has a great outcome on the care their patients receive. This paper is going to first explain the two main routes of education one can take to become a nurse, the associate’s and bachelor’s degree. Then it is going to show a few examples of competencies that differ in patient care when a patient is cared for by an associate’s degree verses a bachelor’s degree nurse. Then finally this paper is going to give a personal patient care example of care that differed when given by an AND verses a BSN nurse.
Associates Degree (ADN)
An associate’s degree in nursing (ADN) is a two year academic degree awarded by a community college. This degree usually requires at least one year of prerequisites prior to entering the nursing program. The ADN was first introduced in 1956 by Mildred Montag to help alleviate the nursing shortage after World War II (GCU, 2014). Ms. Montag envisioned a new level of nurse from the current apprentice nurse that was trained at a hospital and the BSN nurse that was trained at a four year university. Ms. Montag created a degree program that would allow nurses to be trained at a faster pace and also attract students that did not fit into the hospital trained setting or who did not have time for a four year degree. The first ADN programs helped attract the older students and those who were married, widowed or separated because hospital programs did not allow older or married students (Mahaffey PhD, 2002).
Bachelor’s Degree (BSN) A Bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) is a four year academic degree awarded by a University. The BSN program usually requires little to no prerequisites because their