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Nursing professional identity
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In 1965, the American Nurses Association shared its vision for the future of nursing education. A primary goal in its message was that a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) becomes the minimum requirement for entry into nursing practice (Nelson, 2002). Fifty years later, debates on this issue continue. In its report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change and Advancing Healthcare, the Institute of Medicine shared its recommendation that 80% of nurses possess a bachelor’s degree by the year 2020. A significant number of health care facilities have adopted the practice of hiring nurses with BSN over those with two year Associate’s Degree of Nursing (ADN) or a three-year hospital based diploma program. Stakeholders in the Registered Nurse (RN) …show more content…
In study that examined the perceptions and professional values of RNs, Kubsch, Hansen, & Huyser-Eatwell (2008), found a significant difference in nurses’ professional values based on their level of education, job position, and membership in professional nursing organizations. RN-BSNs had the highest perceived level of professionalism as measured by Hall’s Cure, Cure, and Core model. Kubusch, Hansen, & Huyser-Eatwell attribute this difference to the variation among nurse education curriculum. They maintain that ADN programs emphasize technical training and psychomotor skills necessary for completing nursing and bedside tasks. Hospital-based programs value clinical experience. In contrast, BSN programs emphasize humanities, the arts, philosophy, theory, and complex nursing skills. According to the Kubusch, Hansen, & Husyer-Eatwell, “Baccalaureate students are provided with education that supports the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) (2005) core nursing …show more content…
In fact, some have said that the “BS” in BSN refers to bull feces because students are forced to take frill classes that have no bearing on their actual work as nurses. An RN with over 30 years of experience, Rohloof (2015) maintains that many BSN nurses to cannot perform basic clinical skills that require critical thinking, especially in specialty groups like rapid response and triage teams. Rohloof (2015) claims that recruiter for a Magnet hospital told her that most of the BSN candidate she interviews lack the skills of AND nurses. According the Rohloof, because BSN programs focus more on theory and humanities, the clinical skills of their graduates
The national shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs) has helped generate formidable interest in the nursing profession among people entering the workforce and those pursuing a career change. According to a report issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service in 2002, the national population is continuing to grow and age and medical services continue to advance, so the need for nurses will continue to increase. They report from 2000 to 2020 the predicted shortage of nurses is expected to grow to 29 percent, compared to a 6 percent shortage in 2000. With the projected supply, demand, and shortage of registered nurses and nursing salaries ever-increasing, the nursing profession can offer countless opportunities. But first one must determine which educational path to pursue, Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) or Associate Degree in nursing (ADN). Most will initially be educated at the associate degree level, even though the American Organization of Nursing Executives (AONE) has recommended a baccalaureate level as a minimal for entry-level nurses. With the expanding number of RN to BSN programs available there is always the option to further one’s education at a later date. The benefits for acquiring a BSN over an ADN include a better knowledge for evidence-based practice, an increased advantage for promotion, and the necessary gateway for higher education.
Taylor, D. (2008). Should the entry into nursing practice be the baccalaureate degree?. AORN Journal, 87(3), 611-620. doi: 10.1016/j.aorn.2007.07.006
The topic of "ADN versus BSN" is one that has plagued the nursing profession for decades. Does a nurse’s level of education really matter? Can ADN nursing graduates perform their duties as well as BSN graduates? These are the types of questions that continue to be debated by policymakers, educational organizations and associations, and the general public. This may be because nurses are now one of the least educated health care roles when compared to other health care professions that are now requiring bachelor degrees or higher for entry. A more likely reason is undoubtedly due to the growing body of evidence suggesting that BSN graduates are more prepared when entering the workforce than their ASN counterparts. These findings have made some hospitals decide to only hire BSN prepared graduates or higher. Linda Aiken, director of the center for health outcomes and research at Penn State, recently stated "the evidence base is growing, and a number of hospitals are acting on it” (Burling, 2010). If employers prefer BSN prepared nurses, why don’t more of them offer pay differentials or other incentives to return to school? The answer to that question is still unknown. The Veterans Administration (VA) is one exception. The VA leads the country in employing the most registered nurses according to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN, 2011). The VA made the decision a decade ago to establish the BSN as a requirement for new hires. The VA devoted $50 million in approximately five-years to help
Taylor, D. L. (2008). Should the Entry Into Nursing Practice be the Baccalaureate Degree? AORN Journal, 87(3), 611-619.
McEwen, M., Pullis, B. R., White, M. J., & Krawtz, S. D. (2013). Eighty percent by 2020: The present and the future of rn-to-bsn education. Journal of Nursing Education, 52(10), 549-556.
While on the unit I made sure to use my time wisely, I completed my assessment in a timely manner, advocated for pain medication, checked on fellow nursing students, and kept patient’s rooms organized and clean. Professionalism was also exhibited in my clean outfit, with my hair back, name badge on, nails cut, and appropriate footwear and clinical tools on hand.
Nursing as a profession has undergone many changes with increased clinical research and scientific advancements. Nursing started out by promoting hygiene and focusing on patient comforts. While these initial components of nursing are still important to practice, the nurses today are required to have much more knowledge in body functions, pathologies and interventions. With increased scientific knowledge came increased demands for nurses to care for the sick and even more so now with an increasing aging population. Now there are specific educational requirements people must complete in order to enter into the workforce as a nurse (SHOULD ENTRY INTO NURSING BE BSN?). Currently, the three entry level positions as a nurse include Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN), and Bachelors of Science in nursing (BSN). While LPN’s are rarely encountered in the hospital setting as healthcare providers there is a much bigger ongoing debate on whether ADN prepared nurses or BSN prepared nurses are better suited to enter the hospital workforce. This paper will focus on promoting future nursing students to obtain a BSN instead of ADN due to increased research findings that nurses with BSN degrees have better patient outcomes, and better career outlooks.
It is clear that by failing to require a baccalaureate degree for entry into nursing practice, the ANA has wreaked havoc on the unity, public perception, competency, and pride of nurses. Despite first proposing the requirement of a baccalaureate degree for nursing practice in 1965, the ANA has continually failed to deliver on that promise and thus has left the field fragmented (McEwen et al., 2013, p. 549). With new medical advances being discovered constantly, it is critical not only to patient outcomes but also to the credibility, progress, and evolution of nursing as a profession that the field unite in requiring a baccalaureate degree as the minimum standard for entry into nursing practice (Taylor, 2008, p.611).
Higher education is a highly encouraged aspect in today’s society. The higher degree a person has, the more knowledgeable they are said to be. The education and degree that a registered nurse acquires affects not only the nurse, but their patients and their fellow coworkers as well. It is crucial to consider how different education levels of registered nurses will impact the patients, the nurse, the medical field, and the view on nurses as a whole. A nurse with a BSN rather than an ADN could perhaps provide more knowledgeable care that is consistent with the advances of today’s society. With our society and technologies always advancing and changing, it is safe to assume that a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree should be the required level of education for a registered nurse.
I wish I had enrolled in the RN-BSN program sooner than this time. Before the RN-BSN program, I did not fully understand my role as a nurse. I had no knowledge of the functions of the Nurse Practice Act and the Board of Nursing. Nursing research was just a part of nursing curriculum. I have no prior knowledge of the evidence based practice. However, my trajectory into the RN-BSN program changed all that. I feel more confident and equipped as a professional nurse now than before. My two specific examples of change in behavior as a result of RN-BSN program are, one, changes in my skills and two, attitudes toward family dynamics, values and believes. The complexities of nursing practice, healthcare policies, and patients' needs lead to the
The second key message focused on the recommendation that registered nurses receive greater levels of training and education. This message emphasized the need for nurses to enter the work force with a baccalaureate degree, or obtain it shortly afterwards. It also stressed the need more graduate nurses, specifically “nurse faculty and researchers at the doctoral level” (IOM, 2011, p. 164). Innovative solutions were devised to speak to nursing school capacity and curriculum in order to attain the IOM recommended goal of 80 percent of nurses holding a BSN by the year 2020.
There has been a drastic cut in both the Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates. According to Robert (2012), “cuts of more than $360 billion to Medicare and Medicaid will be made over the next 10 years. The focus of nursing needs to emphasize more on wellness care and prevention rather than acute care” (McNeal, G., 2012). Nursing practice will need to shift more towards community and population focused nursing. Baccalaureate prepared nurses are provided with a curriculum that includes both community health and leadership skills that are not included in the associate program. By encouraging associate’s degree nurses to obtain a bachelor’s degree in nursing, an increase in the awareness of the needs of the community and population may be seen. The IOM report has outlined the anticipated obstacles that healthcare will face if changes are not made. By allowing nurses to provide care within their full scope of practice, quality care may be provided at an affordable cost to the population. The use of advanced practice nurses in primary care may provide quality, access, and cost efficient healthcare to high-risk populations and possibly decrease hospital admission rates, thus lowering the overall cost of healthcare. If nurses partner with doctors and other healthcare providers, it may improve healthcare by providing seamless transitions (Institute of Medicine,
In recent years, hospitals are seeking to hire more nurses with a bachelor’s degree rather than nurses who have obtained a certification or associate degree (ADN) in the United States. As of today, there are 2.8 million registered nurses that are employed in the work force and 61% of these population holds at least a BSN degree or received a higher education (AACN, 2015). The Future of Nursing reports that there will be an increase of 50% to 80% of BSN prepared nurses in the work force by 2020 (Kutney – Lee et al, 2014). A bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) is a program that requires 4 years of college education and associate degree in nursing (ADN) requires 2 years of college education to complete the program (Ciambelli, 2014).
There are many different roles in the profession of nursing. The role of a nurse is determined by experiences the nurse has had over the years and the particular needs of the patient at the time of care. Two of the many roles that nurses perform in the healthcare setting are provider of care and member of the profession. The responsibilities nurses have acquired over the years shows the value of caring toward the patient in need. The roles and professional values listed above play a major part in how evidence-based practice is used in the healthcare setting. Pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing(BSN) will help me develop more values in regards to patient care.
The BSN is the opportunity to increase the knowledge and understanding of the nursing career. “Nursing is a unique profession because of its synthesis of practice, multidimensional assessment/intervention, interpersonal communication, case management, and resource-linking on behalf of patients” (Jackson et al. 150). I love my work and as a registered nurse I feel totally complete, nevertheless, an advance education as the BSN program, will incorporate critical thinking expertise and leadership skills, required qualities in order to get a better position in the nursing