Does the school make a difference?

Tweety, BSN, RN · Feb 7, 2007

Employers don't necessarily look at the school you graduated from, over even your GPA for that matter.

Depends on how much they need nurses, but most places hire GNs mainly because they are going to be RNs and help them with their short staffing issues. Interviewing and references count as well.

Does the closer, lesser known school, have the right accreditations, such as National League of Nursing. This would be important when choosing a school.

Good luck.

BouBou · Feb 7, 2007

I think what really matters is the experience and opportunities that you will have in school. A school with lots of funding may have more technology and research available to the students. If that is what interests you go to the school that provides it. However be sure that it is available at the undergrad level.

As long as both schools are accredited it really doesn't matter in career aspects. It may be helpful when applying to graduate schools to come from a more well known school. Also, checking out the clinical sites both schools use could be helpful as well.

Lenap · Feb 7, 2007

I don't believe it matters which school you graduate from, but the hiring facility may look at your GPA if you don't have any nursing work experience. If the smaller, closer to home school has decent nursing program and good % passing boards I would definetely pick that one. Keep in mind that nursing school is damn hard work and if you have to commute each single day 90 minutes each way, you'll be too tired to study! Having smaller classes/groups for classes and clinicals also means it'll be more personalized and easier to seek help if you need it. Good luck!

SiempreBella · Feb 7, 2007

this is the information from the school:

the educational outcomes of the bsn program are consistent with the mission of the bsn program, and the commission on collegiate nursing education (ccne), the standards of the national league for nursing accrediting commission (nlnac), and the laws, rules, and standards of the north carolina board of nursing.

xxx is accredited by the southern association of colleges and schools. the department of nursing is accredited by the commission on collegiate nursing education (ccne) [ccne recently granted xxx a ten-year full approval] and has initial approved from north carolina board of nursing.

the school says that but i searched under allnursingschools.com and nlnac.com and the second school is not listed as having nlnac accredited nursing. the second school has ccne accredited nursing. the first school does have nlnac accredited nursing.

kate1114 · Feb 7, 2007

Definitely look at the NCLEX pass rates, you should be able to find these on the website for your state's board of nursing. That's one of the most important criteria.

I would also look at your comfort level (big vs. small, close vs. far). Visit both campuses and look at both programs. See if you can schedule an interview and tour with each campus. Also look into the clinical opportunities available. Sometimes schools in smaller communities have to do clinicals further away or have clinicals in smaller facilities with fewer opportunities. I went to a school in a big city and my OR rotation was with a nurse on the transplant team. I saw a lot more than some of my coworkers did, and it was a good match for me personally. A local school has most of their clinicals in our larger town, but the school is 30 miles away, so the students have a bit of a commute.

Nursing school is definitely what you make it. It's a lot of hard work, but if you have good grades and pass the NCLEX, you should be in a very good position to get the job you want.

Good luck!

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Feb 7, 2007

Hi SiempreBella! First off, I also think that in regards to baccalaureate nursing programs, where you obtained your education will not matter as long as you pass the NCLEX. Your license is your ticket to entry into nursing practice.

However, you just brought an interesting observation regarding nursing programs in the country. There are 2 accrediting bodies that monitor standards among nursing programs. The CCNE accredits BSN and MSN programs in universities and colleges. NLNAC accredits associate degree programs in junior colleges and university level degrees such as BSN and MSN.

Looking at the NLNAC website myself, I found that more than half of university programs in my state (including the highly-ranked and popular programs) are no longer NLNAC accredited. On the other hand, I found these programs as being accredited in the CCNE website instead. For the most part, the NLNAC accredited ones are the community college programs and the BSN and MSN programs are the CCNE accredited ones in my state.

While I am not an expert in nursing education, can I infer then that nowadays nursing programs are just required to be accredited by either NLNAC or CCNE? or is this just a phenomenon that is happening in my home state? Need comments from experts on this field.

llg, PhD, RN · Feb 7, 2007

While I am not an expert in nursing education, can I infer then that nowadays nursing programs are just required to be accredited by either NLNAC or CCNE? or is this just a phenomenon that is happening in my home state? Need comments from experts on this field.

Schools aren't actually REQUIRED to be accredited by either organization -- but the good ones voluntary choose to be accredited by one or the other as a way of showing that they meet the established standards. The National League for Nursing (NLN) used to be the primary organization that provided accreditation and every good school was accredited by them -- ADN, Diploma, and BSN. However, in recent years, the American Association of Collegiate Nurses, has established its own accreditation agency (the CCNE) and many BSN programs and above are choosing to switch to that agency. I hope that answers your question.

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Feb 8, 2007

thanks llg!

SiempreBella · Feb 9, 2007

Which accrediation is better/preferred NLNAC or CCNE ?

SiempreBella · Feb 13, 2007

bump:selfbonk: