Differences of Associate Level RN and the Bachelor Level RN
The formal education for nursing in the United States began shortly after the Civil War ended in 1872 with the first permanent nurse training school at the Women ‘s Hospital of Philadelphia. Early education followed the Nightingale model and has been evolving ever since. As the needs of patients have changed so has the need for educating nurses. Over the last decade multiple organizations including the Institute of Medicine and the American Organization of Nurse Executives have come to the conclusion that nurses with higher degree levels provide more thorough care. Research has shown that magnet hospitals with highly educated nurses not only have a lower mortality within the acute care setting but also thirty days post. A survey conducted in 2001 and published by the Journal of Nursing Administration reported that Bachelor trained nurses have better critical thinking, communication, and leadership skills. (Hahn, 2001) To better understand these facts we must appreciate the history and differences between the associate and diploma trained Registered Nurse and the bachelor trained Registered Nurse.

The Committee for the Study of Nursing Education published the Goldmark Report in 1923 recommending that nursing education be moved from the hospital to the university and that nurse educators receive advanced education. It was found that the diploma based hospital programs gave higher priority to the needs of the hospital instead of their students’ educational needs. After World War II the United States witnessed its first nursing shortage and in response the Associate Degree in Nursing program was initiated. The Associate degree level nurse was intended to practice solely at the bedside and would have a significantly narrower scope of practice than the traditional registered nurse. (Egenes, 2009)