difference between associates and bachelors in nursing

lifelearningrn, BSN, RN · Jan 11, 2014

*** Nearly all ADN programs have required microbiology and chemistry for years.

Chemistry is not a requirement for ADN in most of my state. Neither is Nutrition and Stats.

lifelearningrn, BSN, RN · Jan 11, 2014

My BSN programs classes that the ADN program students in my area don't take.

6 credit hour comprehensive physical assessment class and lab

Community health (+90 clinical hours in community)

Research

Working with the aging population

Patho

Leadership and Management

Working in Groups (yes, an entire class about how to work in groups)

We also worked in groups in just about every other class too.

The focus throughout the program was Evidence Based Practice, so we spent a lot of the program learning how to find peer reviewed studies, how to analyzing them, and whether results could be applied to practice. Further, we learned to ask research questions, find answers, and apply that to hospital protocol (if applicable). This stuff is all in addition to the regular curriculum of fundamentals, Adult 1&2, OB, Peds, ICU, High Acuity, Psych, pharm, etc. etc.

It's not indoctrination, it's education. It's about being able to see past the way things are and look toward a possible better way. We are not just trained monkeys starting pumps and handing meds.. (which is how a lot of hospital upper management sees nurses).. Learn to ask questions, be an advocate not only for your patient but yourself. Be a leader. Look for better ways to do things and present your evidence. If that's fluff and indoctrination, call me a fluffy indoctrinate!

Also, another focus we had in all of our classes was cultural sensitivity. It's important to be sensitive to the cultural practices of your patients, so we learned a lot about different cultures and common practices we may see in the hospital setting.

madore57 · Jan 14, 2014

Nurses here (Ontario, Canada) are grandfathered in. Where is that not the case in the U.S.?

DoGoodThenGo · Jan 16, 2014

There has been a push from certain quarters in the profession to make formal chemistry classes part of all ADN programs. If not organic then at least general college level chemistry classes.

Diploma schools going back years often required general and perhaps organic chemistry often taken at a local college. ADN programs can and usually have some sort of chemistry component but not full frontal semester long classes with lab work. Such "chemistry for nurses" or as some friends call them "chemistry for weenies", *LOL* are meant to cover the basics of what is deemed a nurse should know on the subject.

Many ADN programs are pushing back against formal chemistry class mandates because of the structure required. Not every community college for instance can afford chemistry professors and put in place the required infrastructure for lab work, etc....

One success (if you can call it that) has been the replacement of bacteriology largely with microbiology.

As evidenced here whenever the subject arises there is considerable debate as to just how much chemistry a RN requires to practice safely. Organic is not up everyone's street and many think it is over kill, especially if taught at say a pre-med level.

applewhitern, BSN, RN · Jan 16, 2014

Microbiology, chemistry, pathophysiology, and nutrition were all part of my ADN program. Statistics was required for the RN to BSN program, but right after I took it, they dropped it from the program. Apparently there isn't much standardization among nursing schools. Most of the hospitals around here do not pay extra for the BSN, but they will pay 25-50 cents per hr. at some of them. Most hospitals here will pay for a certification, but usually limit that to two.

lifelearningrn, BSN, RN · Jan 18, 2014

"chemistry for weenies"

I laughed out loud. I hated, hated, hated general chemistry and I'm really not sure it helped me in anything other than I got really good a dimensional analysis, which helped me ace every single medical calculation exam. I think organic chem would be overkill.

Stats, imo, was totally necessary for the research heavy classes and concepts though.

DoGoodThenGo · Jan 19, 2014

I laughed out loud. I hated, hated, hated general chemistry and I'm really not sure it helped me in anything other than I got really good a dimensional analysis, which helped me ace every single medical calculation exam. I think organic chem would be overkill.
Stats, imo, was totally necessary for the research heavy classes and concepts though.

Study done back in 2005 regarding chemistry knowledge for student nurses: http://www.rsc.org/images/Scalise%20final_tcm18-58359.pdf

Chemistry for Nurses Textbook (circa 1919) A Textbook of chemistry for nurses - Fredus Nelson Peters - Google Books

merlinsbeard · Jan 20, 2014

Just for informative purposes, I'm in a diploma program and our required pre-requisites are A&P I&II, Microbiology, Chemistry, Psychology, Sociology, Comp. I, and Nutrition. I hated Chemistry with a white hot passion!

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Jan 20, 2014

I was a diploma RN grad from 2008. My school required A&P, micro, nutrition, growth and development, logic, and a sociology class. We had lecture for our nursing class 8 hrs a week, and had 20hrs of clinical a week. The program went all year round, with 4 weeks off per year, and it was a 22 month program. It was rigorous, but I really felt like it prepared me well for being able to function as a nurse.