Should We Hire ADNs? or Phase It Out?
The national nursing shortage has caused a crucial call for nurses. Nurses are a core part of the healthcare industry. They are the largest professional sector within the healthcare workforce and are essential to patient care. One solution to the nursing shortage is to hire Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) graduates, but will the growing trend pushing for all nurses to have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) for hire, phase out ADN programs? Let's bring to light the nursing shortage and the advantages and disadvantages of ADN and BSN degrees.
The growing trend in the healthcare industry pushing for all nurses to have a BSN degree for hire will not phase out ADN nurses anytime soon. The demand for nurses is too high. Approximately 40 percent of new nurse graduates earn their degrees from associate degree programs. An advantage of ADN programs is bringing new nurses into the workforce sooner. ADN programs prepare students to take the NCLEX-RN exam and become Registered Nurses (RN) in two to three years versus four-year BSN programs.
Why ADN?
ADN programs are more appealing to many because of the low cost and shorter time frame it takes to become a Registered Nurse; it grants them the opportunity to start working as a nurse sooner. Being introduced into the nursing workforce sooner affords them income as a nurse and a chance to gain experience while pursuing a BSN degree. In 2010 the Institute of Medicine (IOM), now the National Academy of Medicine, recommended that 80% of registered nurses earn a BSN degree by 2020. As a result, medical institutions prefer to hire nurses with a BSN degree or higher. Some institutions require a BSN degree for hire, and if they hire a nurse with an ADN, a condition of employment is earning a BSN degree within a certain length of time.
Why BSN Degree or Higher?
Better Pay
Nurses with BSN degrees have the possibility to generate higher income compared to those with ADN degrees. They can obtain positions offered to nurses who hold BSN degrees or higher. These positions come with more responsibilities and higher pay—positions such as managers, administrators, and educators.
Improve Patient Care
Research has shown that medical institutions that have a higher percentage of qualified BSN nurses on staff deliver quality patient care. They contribute to decreased medication errors, better patient outcomes, lower hospital-acquired infections, decreased mortality rates, and a decline in failure-to-rescue rates.
Magnet Certification
Healthcare organizations have begun seeking nurses with higher education and aspire to Magnet Certification. A major requirement for earning certification is the educational level of the nurses on staff. The higher the percentage of nursing staff with a BSN or greater, the better their chances are of Magnet certification. Magnet Certification yields outstanding nursing processes with notable quality, safety, and patient satisfaction.
Ramifications of Nursing Shortage
Discussions about concerns over the nursing shortage were taking place prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted a shortage of over one million registered nurses by the year 2022. Cutbacks in nursing are attributed to one of the reasons for the shortage. Nurses fall victim to reductions in labor costs because they make up the largest labor force in the healthcare industry. Those reductions are decremental to the safety of patients and nurses. Another cause for the shortage is not enough educators. Nursing programs routinely turn down applicants because they have a limited number of nursing educators to train them. Other causes for the shortage are nurse burnout, an increase in the aging population, and an aging workforce.
Covid-19 escalated the nursing shortage. Covid caused an increase in patient volume, a rise in nurse burnout, early retirement from nurses who were close to retirement, and nurses leaving the profession altogether.
Nursing shortages give rise to medication errors, patient falls, increased morbidity, and increased mortality rates. When organizations lack appropriate staffing levels, the patient-to-nurse ratio is higher. This leads to nurse burnout and discontent. A suitable amount of nursing personnel reduces errors, increases patient safety, improves patient satisfaction, and enhances nurse retention.
Healthcare organizations, nurse leaders, and government officials must devise solutions to the nursing shortage. They must strive to engage and keep nurses. Retention of nurses brings about quality nursing care, improved patient care, and patient satisfaction.
References/Resources
ADN vs BSN Debate: These Are the Real Differences Between ADN and BSN Prepared Nurses: Nightingale College
The Staffing Shortage Pandemic: Journal of Radiology Nursing
Are ADN & ASN Programs Needed to Meet the Nursing Shortages at Hospitals?: Advocate Search Group
Nursing Workforce Challenges in the Postpandemic World: National Library of Medicine
Nursing Fact Sheet: American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)
Nursing educators: Stress the importance of a BSN in nursing, your students will thank you: Wolters Kluwer N.V.
Nursing Shortage: (Stat Pearls) National Library of Medicine
Reaching beyond 80% BSN-prepared nurses-One organization's journey to success: Nursing Management
heron, ASN, RN
4,843 Posts
I graduated in 1972 with an ADN. The only thing that's changed is salaries rising, prices rising the proliferation of for-profit programs selling fairly iffy quality education and the ongoing expansion of abusive owners.
I have no answers.