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The Nursing Field In Need of Distinction of BSN and ADN Practices

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Nursing is a profession that will never go out of style. It continues to evolve today to meet the needs of society and will continue for as long as human beings are getting sick. Many conditions shape the direction that nursing is headed. Nursing technique changes as resources shift, as technology improves, and education aims to satisfy the public's need. As needs for nursing transform it is important to make sure quality of care is only increasing and becoming more efficient. There has been an on-going debate for nearly the past fifty years about whether a Baccalaureate degree should be the minimum degree required to be a nurse (McEwen & White, September 13, 2013). When discussing this topic it is important to understand the differences…show more content…
The most basic distinction between the two is that a profession requires specific education before entering the field. Another basic difference is the life long commitment to a certain field contrary to occupations that are for the meantime. There are two types of nurses and both are necessary for optimal health care function. There is the 'technical nurse' and the 'professional nurse' (Hess, 1996). A technical nurse has experience with hospital skills, and techniques, as well as are trained in what signs and symptoms to expect. A professional nurse also incorporates humanitarian issues, critical thinking, patient teaching, discharge planning, and leadership qualities to impact a patient's life on a holistic level. Hess emphasizes this issue by stating that the difference in education content for ADN verses BSN is, “resulting in the blurring of professional and technical roles” (Hess, 1996, p. 291). If there were clear differences between the ADN scope of practice and the BSN scope of practice there would be more motivation for nurses to continue their education in order to have a more comprehensive interaction with patients. The current system provides little motivation for ADNs to want to become BSNs because there is no increase in pay or change in patient contact. These issues are contrasted with hospitals increasing preference to hire nurses with a baccalaureate degree. In order to have congruence
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