Education for Nurses: What is Best for the Patient? Giselle PalumboState College of Florida - Nursing The concern of having a BSN at the entry level of nursing has been debated for many years. Since the American Nurses Association proposed the change, the controversy over what the difference is between having a bachelor's degree in nursing versus a bachelor's degree in nursing has lit a fire in the healthcare field. The education of a nurse is very important, because the lives of others are in the hands of a nurse. Nurses tend to spend more time with patients than doctors. Their ability to respond, treat and communicate is fundamental to the healthcare field and, in general, to the patient's life. Nurses should be able to understand the definition of what a nurse is, what is expected of a nurse, the educational requirements, and the options available. Attending a graduate program prepares the nurse for broader, more basic patient care. BSN programs contribute to a better understanding of nursing as a leader, in the healthcare field, and educate the nurse in more detail about patient care. There are also more hospitals that require BSN as an entry level, such as Magnet hospitals. These hospitals are proven to provide better care and lower statistics, as in death hospitals. Nursing has many definitions. According to Florence Nightingale, the goal of nursing is “to place the patient in the best conditions so that nature can act upon him” (as cited in Smeltzer, Bare, Hinkle & Cheever, 2010, p. 5). Essentially, Florence Nightingale was referring to ensuring that the patient's physiological needs were met and that the patient was stable. Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs is continually used throughout nursing...... half of article......rsing. (Last updated 2012, October 24). Factsheet: The impact of training on nursing practice [PDF document]. Retrieved from the American Nurses Association website: http://www.aacn.nche.edu/media-relations/EdImpact.pdfAmerican Nurses Credentialing Center. (2014a). Overview of the magnet recognition program. Retrieved from http://www.nursecredentialing.org/Magnet/ProgramOverviewAmerican Nurses Credentialing Center. (2014b). Advantages. Retrieved from http://www.nursecredentialing.org/ WhyBecomeMagnetSmith, T., (October 5, 2009) “A Policy Perspective on the Entry into Practice Issue” OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, Vol. 15, no. 1. DOI: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol15No01PPT01 or retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol152010/No1Jan2010/Articles-Previous-Topic/Policy-and- Entry-in- practice.html