Patients deserve care that is focused on their distinctive needs and not what is easily convenient for health practitioners involved in their care ( Salmond & Echevarria, 2017) . Today, the American healthcare system is transforming drastically to achieve this goal. For example, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 outlined several new healthcare structures and created new opportunities for new roles. These transformative changes occurring today require a crucial rethinking of the responsibilities of all health professionals, including nurses. Additionally, to be well positioned to contribute to shaping these changes, nurses need to understand the factors propelling these changes and the competencies required for system-wide and personal success ( Salmond & Echevarria, 2017). Healthcare technology is advancing at a rapid pace and nurses are required to keep abreast of these contemporary developments. For example, electronic health record systems, high-tech patient simulator, and remote monitoring devices are becoming prevalent in healthcare facilities today. Patient interactions are also changing significantly, especially due to demographic shifts, better consumer education, and increased access to healthcare services (AACN, 2011) . Consequently, the role of nurses as healthcare professionals is equally growing and evolving. The quality of patient care depends greatly on having a well-educated nursing workforce. These emerging trends require nursing professionals to have the latest information at their disposal to enable them to assess and treat patients effectively. Moreover, the complexities of healthcare in contemporary care settings has made advanced nursing knowledge a necessity ( Sibandze & Scafide, 2018) . It is no surprise that today many nurses are choosing to advance their education as an avenue for equipping themselves with appropriate knowledge to meet diverse patient needs, assume leadership roles, and advance science to improve the quality of patient care.
Generally, there is a huge difference between the practice of nurses possessing a master’s degree and those with a baccalaureate degree. Master’s degree in nursing involves building upon the knowledge acquired at the baccalaureate level. Fundamentally, attaining a baccalaureate degree in nursing gives an individual the opportunity to work as a registered nurse in healthcare facilities, while a master’s degree allows one to work as a registered nurse, and pursue new career paths such as working as an educational role. Masters-prepared nurses possess a greater adaptive capacity and are more equipped to become leaders compared to baccalaureate degree holders. According to AACN (2011), master’s education enables nursing professionals to develop effective high-level leadership skills necessary for leading changes to foster quality outcome in patient care, advancing a culture of excellence through life-long learning, designing innovative nursing practice, creating and leading inter-professional care teams, and translating evidence into practice among other crucial roles. Besides, Clark, Casey, & Morris 2015), indicated that Master’s education is considered a fundamental tool for strengthening the legitimacy of nursing as a professional occupation, instilling confidence in nurses, and enhancing the clinical credibility.
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Further, while a strong foundation in liberal education is considered a cornerstone for the practice of baccalaureate -level nurses, master’s prepared nurses on the other hand are usually adequately equipped with knowledge to integrate scientific findings from a vast range of educational areas such as genetics, biopsychosocial, organizational sciences, nursing practice, and public health among other for the progressive advancement of nursing care across divergent setting ( AACN, 2011) . Also, for nursing practice for baccalaureate-prepared nurses is based on integrating current evidence into practice, while master’s prepared professionals are entitled to conduct and apply research findings within the practice setting, disseminate results for use by other practitioners, operate as agents of change, and resolve practice challenges ( AACN, 2008) . Baccalaureate -level nurses are limited to discharge their duties within the precincts of available healthcare policies, while masters-prepared nurses are entitled to intervene at the system level via the policy development procedure and utilize advocacy approach to influence healthcare delivery ( AACN, 2011) . Therefore, with the current transformative efforts in the healthcare sector, masters-prepared nurses are well positioned to contribute to and drive changes compared to baccalaureate -prepared nurses.
References
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2008). The essentials of baccalaureate education for professional nursing practice. 1-61. Retrieved from www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/schools/son/pdf2/BaccEssentials08.pdf.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2011 ). The essentials of master’s education in nursing . 1-64. Retrieved from http://www.aacnnursing.org/portals/42/publications/mastersessentials11.pdf.
Clark, L., Casey, D., & Morris, S. (2015). The value of Master's degrees for registered nurses. British Journal of Nursing , 24 (6), 328-334 .
Salmond, S. W., & Echevarria, M. (2017). Healthcare transformation and changing roles for nursing. Orthopedic Nursing , 36 (1), 12-25.
Sibandze, B. T., & Scafide, K. N. (2018). Among nurses, how does education level impact professional values? A systematic review. International Nursing Review , 65 (1), 65-77.
