Bachelors of Science in Nursing is The Way to Go

When one makes the decision to attend nursing school, there is a vast amount of information that needs to be considered before beginning the trek through education. From entry-level degrees such as the Associate Degree in Nursing (RN or ADN), the Bachelors of Science in Nursing (BSN), to the advanced practice degrees, Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN), and the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). All of these degrees have scopes of practice that pertain to their specific education (McEwen, Bridgette, White, and Krawtz, 2013).

To differentiate between the RN and the BSN, there are a few different options. A person can attend a community college program and receive an ADN degree, and then begin to practice as an RN. As stated by Taylor (2008), often people that hold an ADN degree can, and are frequently required by hospital institutions to return to school to receive a BSN, this is often referred to the RN-BSN program. Another option if for a person to begin their educational career with an end goal of the BSN degree. This path includes the prerequisites, nursing didactic classes, clinical rotations, and a final capstone rotation.

In a survey completed by McEwen et al. (2013), questions were asked of nursing program directors about the prerequisites required between a traditional BSN program and an RN-BSN program. It was mentioned that not all educations are the same. Nutrition was one example of prerequisites that seemed to be different from program to program. BSN students were required to take a nutrition course, whereas the RN-BSN students were not.

This shows a large difference between the two educations when comparing the RN-BSN and the BSN degree. One article describes an ADN curriculum as not including classes in co...

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...xpected that a person that is caring for another individual be trained appropriately for the circumstance. If an ADN student is not trained in theory-based practices, community health, and critical care situations, the care they can provide is less competent than that of a BSN.

Works Cited

Fields, S., Jacobs, L., DiMattio, M., & Bishop, T. The Baccalaureate Degree In Nursing As An Entry-level Requirement For Professional Nursing Practice. Journal of Professional Nursing, 14, 225-233.

Hess, J. Education For Entry Into Practice: An Ethical Perspective. Journal of Professional Nursing, 12, 289-296.

McEwen, M., Pullis, B., White, M., & Krawtz, S. Eighty Percent by 2020: The Present and Future of RN-to-BSN Education. Journal of Nursing Education, 52, 549-556.

Taylor, D. Should The Entry Into Nursing Practice Be The Baccalaureate Degree?. AORN, 87, 611-620.