Nursing: Associate Degree Is Just The Beginning

Nurses can choose to complete a two-year associate degree or a four-year baccalaureate degree. Majority of nurses enter the field with a two-year associate degree. However, as healthcare becomes more complex, there is an increasing need for nurses with a four-year degree.

By Nancy Giguere, Star Tribune Sales and Marketing

Last update: February 5, 2007 - 9:20 AM

It's no secret that the United States is facing a nursing shortage. In April 2006, the American Hospital Association reported that U.S. hospitals need 118,000 RNs to fill positions currently vacant. And according to the Health Resources and Services Administration, the shortage will grow to more than one million nurses by 2020.

A Place To Start

Nurses can choose to complete either a two-year associate degree or a four-year baccalaureate degree. Both prepare nurses to sit for the RN licensing exam. Currently, the majority of nurses enter the field with a two-year associate degree.

"An associate degree is a good place to start," says Alice Swan, associate dean of nursing programs at the College of St. Catherine. Swan notes, however, that as healthcare becomes more complex, there is an increasing need for nurses with a four-year degree.

In fact, some career paths are open only to nurses with a baccalaureate or master's degree. Yet only about 15 percent of nurses with a two-year degree ever complete a baccalaureate degree.

Swan acknowledges that many people need to finish school quickly and start earning a living. She believes, however, that students with an associate degree should consider completing a four-year degree. And, she says, it's easier to do it sooner, rather than later.

Navigating Change

Swan points out that patients in acute care settings such as hospitals are more critically ill than in years past. In addition, providers in acute care settings are relying more heavily on informatics and data-driven decision- making. Today's acute care nurses need finely honed communication, leadership, clinical investigation and critical-thinking skills all of which are introduced in the two- year and further developed in four-year programs.

"As the healthcare system becomes more complex, nurses at all levels will need to continue learning in order to navigate change," Swan says.

Completing A 4-Year Degree

Nurses with a two-year associate degree can enroll in a baccalaureate completion program, such as those offered by Metropolitan State University, Augsburg College and the College of St. Catherine. These programs build on students' experience and their previous science, liberal arts and nursing course work.

The St. Catherine's program, for example, includes 22 credits of advanced nursing courses, which combine classroom, lab and clinical work. In these courses, students study nursing theories and concepts, explore nursing leadership and learn about working with complex families. Students must also take one course on healthcare ethics.

Courses On Site

In order to help nurses complete a four-year degree, many Minnesota employers are now partnering with colleges to bring baccalaureate completion programs to the workplace.

For example, the College of St. Catherine offers courses at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, Phillip's Eye Institute and the Minneapolis campus of Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. And Augsburg College offers courses at United, Mercy, Unity Hospitals and Children's St. Paul campus.

Swan notes that professional organizations such as the American Nurses Association are urging baccalaureate preparation for nurses, particularly in acute care settings.

"Lifelong learning is important to your career satisfaction as a nurse regardless of degree level," Swan says.

Nancy Giguere is a freelance writer from St. Paul who has written about healthcare since 1995.

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