Advanced Degrees in Nursing

Essay # 101661

Education > Higher
Medical and Health > Nursing

This paper discuses the many levels of advanced nursing degrees and their need in the profession.

1,650 words () | 6 sources | APA | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the rapidly changing healthcare environment requires various levels of nursing educational preparation, which involve advanced levels of competence. The author points out that the scope of practice becomes wider as advanced degrees create an impressive variety of practice settings. The paper describes many types of advanced nursing, which can be completed at a university or online. The author stresses that nurses have an ethical demand to pursue advanced practices because of the professional principle of beneficence, which refers to doing well and working in the best interests of the patient and because of the more salient principle of autonomy. The author summarizes that an advanced level of nursing practice maximizes the use of in-depth nursing knowledge and skill for meeting the needs of the individual patient, family and the community.

From the Paper:

"The Bachelor of Science in Nursing is a four-year baccalaureate degree program for non-nurses which leads to RN licensure. The baccalaureate degree is the minimum requirement for entry into professional nursing practice. This requirement resulted from the American Nurses Association's (ANA's) position paper requesting the baccalaureate degree as the minimum preparation for practice. The basis for that degree was the observation by the ANA of significant changes in the practice of nursing, which included important theoretical formulations, scientific discoveries, technological advances, and the development of new treatments."

Sample of Sources Used:

Beauchamp, T. & Childress, J. (2001). Principles of Biomedical Ethics. London: Oxford University Press.
Drexel (2007). Online nursing degree and certificate programs. http://www.drexel.com/online-degrees/nursing-degrees/index.aspx
Nelson, M. (2002). Education for professional nursing practice: Looking backward into the future" Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 7 (3), 1-7. http://www.nursingworld.org/ojin/topic18/tpc18_3.htm
Ray, G. & Hardin, S. (1995). Advanced practice nursing. Nursing Management, 26 (2), 45-48.
SON (2007). Prospective students. University of Washington, School of Nursing. http://www.son.washington.edu/eo/