Associate Degree In Nursing Nc?

Q: Just wondering if someone could explain the options for nursing education in the States. Namely, what is an Associate degree? Can you still get a diploma in nursing in the USA?

A:Associate degree is a two year degree. Diploma is available in some places. I am really not to sure what the legal diferences are, since you can get diplomas in other fields, too not JUST nursing. Steve, as Associate degree is typically a 2-year degree taught at a community college, which is a 2-year college as opposed to the 4-year university. But many 4-year universities also offer the two-year associate degree programs in nursing. In an associate degree program, students typically take 4 semesters, or 4 semesters and a summer, of science, liberal arts, and nursing courses. If you check the web site for Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (http://www.iupui.edu/home/nurs.html), you'll see descriptions of their 2-year associate degree program and their 4-year BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) program. There are still 3 or 4 dozen hospital-based diploma programs in the US. These programs are usually either 2 years or 3 years in length. The two-year programs normally require that applicants finish a year of prerequisite science and liberal arts courses before beginning the 2 years of full-time nursing study. The three-year diploma programs require essentially the same science and liberal arts courses, but the courses are taken during the first 2 semesters and summer session at the same time as the introductory nursing courses. To the best of my knowledge there are no more diploma schools of nursing in the states. These were hospital based programs, usually 3 years in length. Several years ago when the Amr. Nurses Association created the "Entry into Practice" for nursing, it included only 2 entry levels (RN) 2 year or Associate Degree and 4 year, Bacclaureate (can't spell tonite) degree (bsn) The plan was to eliminate the LPN and replace them with 2 yearRN's because they had "technical" training as opposed to the 4 year grad who had "theory". The problem all thoseyears agowas that we all wrote the same state board, regardless ofwhere we went to school or for how long. So although the 3 year programs have been eliminated (diploma schools) we still have 2 and 4 year college programs, and we still allwrite the same state board exam, and.....we still have LPN's and LPN schools of nursing, which is, I believe, as it should be. I never did agree with the whole "Entry into Practice" concept in the first place!

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