Topic > Differences in Nursing Degrees: A Bachelor's Degree and an Associate's Degree

ADN vs. BSNThe American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) created the Magnet Recognition Program to bring attention to top healthcare facilities. This recognition means that all nurses working in a hospital must have the BSN degree. Getting their BSN will open many doors for them in their nursing career. A BSN makes nurses more desirable to employers who may want to hire someone with advanced education. Getting a bachelor's degree in nursing is better than getting a bachelor's degree in nursing. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayA counterargument to the controversy of whether getting the BSN is better than getting the ADN is that getting the ADN would be just as good as getting the BSN. Licensed nurses with any diploma, associate's or bachelor's degree are generally qualified for entry-level positions as staff nurses. After starting as a nurse or generalist doctor, some hospitals have internship programs that help new nurses gain a specialty in areas such as critical care, the operating room, or the emergency room. ADN programs allow people to work without accumulating large debts (Kelbach 2015). However, an ADN teaches the nursing student only the fundamentals and basics of nursing. These include creating care plans and performing daily nursing skills. With a BSN, the nurse must think more outside the box, with noteworthy research, leadership, theory, and public health, which, in turn, will make the nurse more of a critical thinker, which will carry over into their practice. Therefore, patients will be safer. Years ago there was a huge shortage of nurses, but now there is less and less demand. Nurses are not that necessary, so BSN is preferable. It is becoming more of a trend to have a BSN to be considered for any position, especially teaching, specialty, and school nursing. In the future, nurses who obtain an ADN will know what will happen in the future and will already graduate or be in the process of completing their BSN. Furthermore, the future is coming and BSN will be a necessity for many jobs. Throughout the United States, hospitals strive to achieve Magnet status, which does not hire ADN nurses (Oermann, 2001). Author Linda Aiken and her colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing found that a 10% increase in the proportion of baccalaureate-prepared nurses resulted in a 5% decrease in patient death and complications (Megginson, 2007). This also means that hospitals equipped with Magnet Recognition have better service and patient care. This is because all hospitals now want to be recognized as Magnet. Most of the hospitals prefer to hire nurses with their BSN rather than nurses with their ADN and it's all thanks to the Magnet Recognition Program, so the hospital can be called a better hospital. By 2020, 80% of nurses employed in hospitals or clinics will be required to have a BSN. This mandate from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, known as 80/20, means that hospitals and clinics will likely require new ADNs to obtain a BSN within a certain time period of their hire (Oermann, 2001). In fact, one of the goals of the mandate is to encourage new nurses to enroll in a BSN program within five years of graduation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Standfest 1997), licensed nurses with a diploma,.