Differences in Competencies Between Nurses Prepared with a Associates Degree Versus the Baccalaureate Dregree.
There are many differences in the competencies between nurses prepared at the associate’s degree level versus the baccalaureate level in nursing. The differences in competencies can be seen in the leadership ladder for advancement in the profession of nursing, the ability to provide care, the coordination of patient care, and the membership of an educated interdisciplinary health care team. In my matriculation into Grand Canyon University’s RN-BSN program I previously researched this topic extensively. In 1965 the American Nurses Association (ANA) took a courageous position in publishing a position paper asking for the baccalaureate degree to be the minimal level of education for the profession of nursing. (“A Position paper.”, 1965