Educational Entry into Nursing (Discussion and Survey)

A.D.N. versus B.S.N.?

Did you know that for over 30 years now there are controversies about A.D.N.
(Associate Degree in Nursing) versus B.S.N. (Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing) as entry level preparations for nursing practice? In 1965 already, the ANA (American Nurses Association) published a position paper that called for the baccalaureate degree for educational entry into professional nursing. This recommendation has been repeated by official professional representatives and has been examined in research over the years.
If you think that this debate might not affect you because you have graduated from one or the other program (or diploma program for that matter), think again. What would happen to you in you current practice setting if the B.S.N. becomes the minimum educational requirement for professional nursing? We would like to hear from you - what do you think about this issue? What do you know about it? Where do you agree and disagree with the arguments - pro and con, practice differentiation, etc.
We are three nursing students in an RN-B.S.N. program at a California State University. We also have developed a questionnaire to collect information and opinions about this matter. We will collate your responses and examine them against the literature about this topic. The survey questions are intended to provide us with information about your own educational background, your interest in this debate, your opinion from your experience about any perceived differences between A.D.N. and B.S.N. preparation and practice, and, of course, any comments you would like to share with us.
We will publish the survey results and more background information in this forum. We look forward to a lively discussion and / or your participation in our survey. Due to time constraints of the University semester, the survey will close on November 14th.
If you want to continue with the survey, please use the following address: http://users.ap.net/~joan/nursing_survey/survey.htm