Traditional bsn vs direct entry level and absn

[Big_Mike]

I was researching different schools bsn, absn, and direct entry. I looked at csu fullerton absn program and they require As and Bs on the science prereqs vs Direct Entry Level masters program at University of Hawaii Manoa they require only Cs in the science courses. Also, sfsu direct entry level program also only requires Cs.

My question is why are direct entry level programs are not as competitive as Absn and traditional Absn?

Is the direct entry level nursing program worth going into?

Is it true that the easy nursing schools to get into give you alot of debt and competitive nursing schools cost less and tend to be public?

My theory is that the direct entry level nursing is not as competitive as absn is that it takes longer and cost more.

[Roasted.Peanuts]

The big thing here is that the "requirement" is the minimum grade needed to apply. Sure, UH Manoa will accept your application with Cs in the sciences, but you will be overlooked by more qualified candidates who have As and Bs. What is more important is knowing the average statistics of the people that get accepted and count that as the goal, rather than the minimum qualifications needed to apply.

[greatgiginthesky]

As Roasted.Peanuts said, these are only minimum requirements. If you look at UCSF, which is consistently in the top 3 nursing schools in the country, their requirements are similar to the other direct entry masters you have listed. Despite the low requirements, getting into the UCSF program is nearly as difficult to get into as med school. Similar with University of Washington, which is the top ranked nursing program nearly every year. So no, direct entry programs are not any less competitive to get into than an ABSN program.

For aspiring nurses, a direct entry program is only worth applying to if you know you want to be an advanced practice or management level nurse. If one wants to be a floor nurse, however, there is little incentive to apply to an ELM program. This narrows down the number of applicants to an ELM program, but does not necessarily narrow down the competition as it is still a graduate program and applicants must be ready for graduate level study. ELM programs are still extremely difficult to get into.

And finally, while I agree that many competitive programs tend to be cheap (just check out the competition at your local community college), it does not follow that more expensive programs are easier to get into, unless of course you were implying that For- Profit universities are easier, which you would then be correct. Otherwise, private schools are a great option for someone looking out of state and oftentimes cheaper then out of state public tuition. There are plenty of top ranked programs that are private and extremely difficult to get into.

I think going on some of the boards for ABSN and ELM programs on allnurses will give you a good picture of how competitive these programs are.