2023 Your thoughts The American Association of Colleges of Nursing AACN believes that education has

Your thoughts 

      The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), believes that education has a considerable impact on the expertise and competencies of the nurses. Nurses with BSN degrees are well-prepared to meet the demands of the patient’s health conditions. BSN nurses are valued for their skills in critical thinking, leadership, case management, and health promotion, and for their ability to practice across a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings (The Impact of Education on Nursing Practice 2019).

      Nursing is a health profession with multiple pathways to entry-level practice. Health scientists affiliated with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) confirms that pathways that lead to a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) and higher may improve patient outcomes. According to Linda Aiken, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, director of the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, hospitals with a larger number of BSN prepared nurses to have lower patient mortality rates. She also found out that 7 percent of decreased patient death was associated in hospitals with a 10 percent increase in bachelor’s degree nurses (Building the Case for More Highly Educated Nurses 2014). There are also decreased readmissions, shorter stays, and less postoperative complications such as infection to the incision line or catheter.

      Based on my life experiences, I agree that higher education such as BSN or above would be more beneficial for better patient care and patient outcome. The efficiency of a nurse depends on the person as well as the nursing education they received. I studied in a School of Nursing, which was affiliated with a Government Medical College. After a month’s preparation course, we had put on contact with patients, until our graduation. Nurses with an Associate degree are considered skilled nurses and have more hands-on experiences as bedside nurses. We were more dependent on doctors and we used to go according to the orders of the doctors. However, BSN prepared nurses to have more knowledge on planning, educating, and managing patient care. After starting my BSN program with GCU, I understood that BSN Degree is very helpful for critical thinking, assessment, and planning of better patient care. As my BSN courses went on, I am now more encouraged to pursue higher education after my BSN Degree.