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The purpose of this quasi-experimental study, adapted from the work of Kolb (1976) and Laschinger (1992), was to examine the differences in adaptive competency acquisition between Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) graduate candidates and second-level Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) students at two community colleges. Participants completed the Adaptive Competency Profile (ACP). The results provided both individual scores and group means. The means of the ACP subscales were compared to determine adaptive competency acquisition, and the 't' test for independent samples was utilised to test significance. The results of this study indicated that there was no significant difference in adaptive competency acquisition between the two groups. Further analyses were conducted to determine any differences by college, program, gender, age level, and previous health care experience. The results indicated that there was no significant difference for any variable examined. The results place value on the variety of educational backgrounds that foster development of competency types, both conceptual and practical, that enable graduates to function effectively in the changing health care work environment.