Question

Read the AACN documents for essentials of bachelors versus masters in education and identify the competencies that reflect use of theory and knowledge. Compare and contrast these competencies for bachelorette and Masters level

Answer 1

The baccalaureate education for nursing practice is built on theory, experience and research. Theory and science are introduced, and students must gain proficiency in applying this knowledge in areas such as promoting healthy lifestyles and modifying risk factors. They learn to appreciate how nursing theory underlies practice, and how the practice is constantly advancing through ongoing research and evidence-based activities (American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), 2008).

Undergraduate work also concentrates on training students to combine concepts and theories from a liberal arts education in developing a better understanding of patient experiences (AACN, 2008).    

The master’s program is designed to prepare the graduate to analyze, assess, and apply the applicable theory. This advanced curriculum should consist of nursing and additional related theories from a wide array of fields, including the organizational, natural, social and biological sciences (American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), 2011).

Nurses with master’s degrees should be better prepared to comprehend health care structure by applying the theories they’ve learned and should be able to assess, critique, develop and apply an array of nursing theories in providing patients with the highest quality care (AACN, 2011).

There are similarities between the two programs. Both require that students develop proficiencies in critiquing, evaluating, and utilizing suitable theories within their practice. Students pursuing either a baccalaureate or a master’s degree in nursing also are trained to continuously research and exercise evidence-based practice in encouraging their patients to reduce risk factors and make healthy life choices (AACN, 2008) (AACN, 2011)

There is one notable difference in how the two programs address theory and knowledge. In the baccalaureate’s education program, the theory is just being introduced with the goal of providing a fundamental understanding of theory as it relates to nursing and other sciences. In the master’s education curriculum, this basic understanding is enhanced, as students are guided to a deeper knowledge of how nursing theory and practice are linked (AACN, 2008) (AACN, 2011).  

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