Title: Exploring the Competencies Between Nurses Trained at the Associates degree level versus the Baccalaureate degree level
Grand Canyon University: Professional Dynamics

Competency Differences Between Associate and Baccalaureate Nurse Training
As I embark on another educational endeavor, it is important to understand the return on investment that will be gained from committing time, energy, and finances to an advanced degree. There have been numerous studies and research that have proven that nurses trained at the baccalaureate level are associated with lowering the odds of patient mortality, creating better outcomes for patients, and decreasing the occurrence of medication errors (AACN, 2015). To be a nurse, be it at the associate or baccalaureate level, means the same thing: to provide compassionate care through the “promotion of health, prevention of illness, and the care of ill, disabled and dying people. Advocacy, promotion of a safe environment, research, participation in shaping health policy and in patient and health systems management, and education are also key nursing roles” (ICN, 2002). However; since 1965, the American Nurses Association (ANA) has taken the stance the nurses should be educated, at minimum, at the baccalaureate level for entrance into the profession as the belief that an increasing number complex health issues and growing number of advancements in knowledge require education beyond nursing basics (Nelson, 2002). This paper will explore the difference in competencies between nurses trained at the associates level and baccalaureate level and how ADN and BSN level nurses may differ in their approach to a patient care situation, while helping to enhance the commitment to advancement in education.
Associate Degree Level Because of severe nursing shortages after the war, in 1951 Mildred Montag initiated a new 2 year associate