Nursing Competency Paper

The nursing profession encompasses not only different levels of licensed nurses but also different scopes and skills. The four main nursing roles include; member of the profession, provider of the patient-centered care, patient safety advocate and member of the health care team (Texas Board of Nursing [TBON], 2011). Additionally, there are 25 core competencies that fall under the four nursing roles that are further explained into more specific expectations in clinical judgements, behaviors and competency (TBON, 2011). The competencies are written to guide nursing school curriculums accordingly and to provide a foundation of education to be carried out in all programs (TBON, 2011).
Variances Among Associate Degree Nurses and Baccalaureate Degree

Whereas, BSN nurses are to have a more in depth focus than that of the ADN nurse. BSN nurses must consider not only the patient and family, but also the community and population (TBON, 2011). Additionally, the BSN nurse is to assess the physical and mental health status, needs, and preferences of culturally, ethnically diverse patients with the incorporation of evidence-based health data (TBON, 2011). Other differences include the BSN nurse to provide safe, compassionate, comprehensive nursing care to not only patients and families as the ADN nurse but also populations and communities as well (TBON, 2011). BSN nurses are to address health promotion, maintenance, restoration, and population risk reduction. A great deal of the expectations and roles set aside of ADN nurses are expanded in the BSN nurse to encompass not only the patient and family but the population and community as well. The knowledge a BSN nurse brings to into their role should include research and evaluation methodologies along with nursing frameworks, theories, and models that relate to managing and evaluating health care delivery. None of which are roles detailed in the ADN degree

Baccalaureate degree nurses should also supervise nursing care provided by others they are responsible for by using best practices of management, leadership, and evaluation (TBON, 2011). They should also be able to identify systems issues that impact nursing practice (TBON, 2011). These are expectations of a BSN nurse that are not seen as expectations of ADN degree