Final Draft Essay 1

Michelle DeShazor
Professor Kerr
English 101-12
14, February 2013
                                         Bachelors  vs. Associate’s Degree in Nursing

     Today when you walk into a hospital, doctor’s office, or nursing home it is full of life and busy regardless of the time of day. When people are in need and at their most vulnerable, they look for experienced people who can best help them when they need it most; doctors and nurses. When people are hurt they want to go to someone who is experienced, professional and knows how to handle the situation in which they are in. Doctors are who people go to when they want a diagnosis and a clear concise answer to their problem. Nurses are the people with the hands on bedside care who manually care for the patients and their needs. Nurses are highly respected in this society and have a huge impact on the community as a whole. Those who are looking to go into the nursing field should strive to get their Bachelors degree, BSN, rather than their Associate’s degree. Up and coming nurses should consider obtaining their Bachelors degree in nursing rather than an Associate’s degree in nursing for increased job security and potential for job advancement, the increasing demand for highly educated nurses, and the potential for entering the varying fields of nursing.

     A higher status in the nursing field accompanies increased job security and a greater potential for job advancement. When a higher degree is obtained, one becomes much more valuable and is seen to be more experienced.  Nurses with a BSN often have more supervisory roles and are more independent than nurses who do not have their BSN (1).  A nurse with a Bachelors degree is more likely to be hired over a nurse with an Associate’s degree. The nurse with the BSN has more schooling which results in a vaster array of knowledge, has more experience with the terms and expectations of the medical field, and is generally expected to be more professional and experienced as a result of their degree. A BSN gives nurses the most in-demand skills and qualifications that employers look for (1). It is a very strong platform that provides nurses with opportunities for advancement in the field and getting higher level degrees (1). Nurses with those higher level degrees have more options in their career such as becoming a nurse practitioner, in which they can diagnose and treat common sicknesses and injuries (4). There is also the aspect of job stability in nursing. There are so many different places a nurse can find work; in a nursing home, hospital, doctors office, senior center, health center and so much more. Statistics show that about 59% of all nursing jobs are in hospitals (3). Sixty percent of jobs in nursing come from employment in hospitals alone (4). There are multiple different units in a hospital including an emergency room, ambulatory care units, and radiology departments, just to name a few (3). It is often said that nurses will never have trouble finding a job, they are needed everywhere. Nursing is actually the largest healthcare occupation, resulting in about 2.2 million jobs (4). With a Bachelors degree in nursing one can continue on to get involved in managerial positions such as head nurse, director, and vice president, whereas those with an Associate’s degree do not have this option (4).

     As the years go on people are living longer, getting sicker, and developing more diseases, so in result the medical field is in need of highly educated nurses who can properly care for these people. Today there are more elderly people than younger people who can care for them. The baby boomers of the generation are at that elderly age now and there is the fear that there is a shortage of nurses, so the elderly of our generation will not be properly taken care of (1). The medical field is in dire need of highly educated nurses who are capable of caring for the elderly. The body is not indestructible, people are always going to injure themselves, become ill, develop diseases, grow old and need help when they do not know how to take care of themselves. The world is going to need nurses as long as we are human. A highly educated nurse is going to be prepared for a multitude of situations that may be presented to them. A nurse with more education is going to be in more control, more organized, have more confidence and have more experience…resulting in a happier patient.

     There are multiple different fields of nursing that one can go into, ranging from Emergency/Trauma to Legal Nurse Consulting. The great thing about nursing is that there are countless fields that one can go into! If someone wants to work with babies they can go into the neonatal field, if they want to work with the elderly they can go into the geriatrics field, if they want to work with patients and surgery they can go into the medical surgical field (2)! When one hears the term “nurse,” they automatically think of hands-on patient care, emergency rooms and hospitals. But that is not always the case! Nurses can also get into other fields that are involved in more of the business aspects rather than the physical aspects. If a nurse would like to get into work that has more of a business outlook they can get into nurse consulting. A nurse consultant offers consulting services to attorneys, insurance companies and other health care professionals on medical related legal cases (2). This field of nursing is more research and business based; their main duties include researching, examining medical records, communicating with expert witnesses, and testifying in court cases as medical experts (2).
     Nursing is a career that involves extensive knowledge of the field, determination, compassion, resourcefulness and it is highly respected and acknowledged in our society. It is a very reputable career and those who are looking to get into it should earn their bachelor’s degree because of the multiple benefits and career options that are in the nursing future. Nurses have a bright future that includes the multiple opportunities of job advancement and the job security it provides, the increasing need for nurses, and the potential of entering the varying fields of nursing.


Works Cited
(1)“Get Your Bachelors Degree in Nursing (BSN)” allnursingschools.com http://www.allnursingschools.com/nursing-careers/nursing-degrees/bachelor-degrees-nursing. © 2002-2013 All Star Directories, Inc. Web. 12 February 2013.
(2) “Nursing Career Choices/ Education” learn4good.com. http://www.learn4good.com/nursing/careers_choices_nurse_education.htm. © 2013 Learn4Good Ltd. Web. 12 February 2013.
(3) “What Kinds of Career Paths Exist for Nurses” BestNursingDegree.com http://www.bestnursingdegree.com/nursing-careers/. © 2008-2013 Degree Prospects, LLC. Web.
12 February 2013.
 (4) “Nursing Career  Education and Advancement.” Salary.com.
http://www.salary.com/nursing-career-education-and-advancement/. ©2013 Salary.com. Web.
12 February 2013.